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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

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LOS  ANGELES 


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With  Miss  Butler  s  Regards 


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THE     LIFE     AND 
LETTERS 

OF 

CHARLES     BUTLER 


/A.^^e-t^i^  /^a-^-,!:^/^^€c^ 


THE  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

OF 

CHARLES  BUTLER 

BY 
FRANCIS    HOVEY   STODDARD 

PROFESSOR  OF  THE  ENGLISH 
LANGUAGE  AND  LITERATURE  IN 
NEW       YORK       UNIVERSITY 


WITH 
PORTRAITS 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S   SONS 

MDCCCCIII 


COPYRIGHT,      1903 
BY    CHARLES    SCRIBNSr's    SONS 


^r- 


6 1  ■■  ^ 


'J 


PREFACE 

THIS  book  has  been  written  in  commem- 
oration of  a  life,  which,  it  is  believed, 
both  by  its  length  and  its  activities  was 
associated  with  so  much  of  the  development  of 
our  country  that  it  may  have  some  value  as  a 
contribution  to  its  history. 

There  has  also  been  the  desire  to  perpetuate  in 
some  measure  the  memory  of  a  life  of  singular 
charm  to  those  who  came  in  contact  with  it,  as 
well  as  the  hope  that  some  useful  influence  may 
still  exist  in  its  personality  for  those  who  read 
what  at  best  can  give  only  a  very  imperfect  pic- 
ture of  the  living  subject. 

For  the  surviving  friends  who  cheered  the  way, 
as  my  father  was  often  fond  of  quoting  from  a 
favorite  hymn,  and  for  the  nephews  and  nieces, 
who  by  their  affection  for  him,  and  still  more  per- 


550290 


PREFACE 

haps  as  a  result  of  his  ever  flowing  affection  for 
them,  added  much  to  his  enjoyment  through  many 
years,  it  is  hoped  that  these  pages  may  revive 
pleasant  remembrances.  Perhaps  they  may  also 
be  welcomed  by  graduates  of  Union  Theological 
Seminary  and  of  New  York  University,  in  whom 
he  ever  felt  a  warm  interest,  constantly  recipro- 
cated in  their  expressions  of  regard  for  him. 

E.  O.  B. 


CONTENTS 


Preface 


Chapter   I.        ..••••       3 

Ancestry — Birth  and  Early  Life — School  Days — 
Study  for  Professional  Life — Influences  That  Moulded 
Character. 

Chapter  II.      .  .  •         •  •  -54 

Plans  for  Professional  Life — Opening  Months  at  Lyons 

Removal    to    Geneva — Interest    in    Projects   for 

Benefiting  the  City— Western  Trip— Marriage. 

Chapter  III.    .         .         .         .         •         .96 

Life  at  Geneva — Profession  of  Religion — Resignation 
of  Postmastership  —  The  Morgan  Trial  —  Great 
Work  in  Connection  with  the  NevF  York.  Life  In- 
surance and  Trust  Company  on  Behalf  of  the  Farm- 
ers of  Western  New  York. 

Chapter  IV.     ....••   129 

Plans  for  New  Enterprises — Visit  to  the  Northwest — 
Detroit  —  Chicago  —  Religious  Work  —  Business 
Openings — Journey  to  Ohio — Removal  From  Geneva 
to  New  York. 

Chapter  ¥.....••   163 

Life  in  New  York — Financial  Stress — Loss  of  Health 

Journey  to  Europe — Victory  Over  Repudiation  in 

Michigan — Travel  in  the  South. 

vii 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 


Chapter  VI 222 

The  Funding  of  the  Bonded  Debt  of  Indiana. 

Chapter  VII ^79 

Journeys  in  Europe — Family  and  Home  Life — Services 
to  New  York  University  and  to  Union  Theological 
Seminary. 

Chapter  VIII.  .         .         •         •         '3^7 

Later  Years — Patriotic  Services — Friends  at  Home  and 
Abroad  —  Journeys  in  Europe  —  Fox  Meadow  — 
Closing  Scenes  of  Life. 


THE     LIFE     AND 
LETTERS 

O  F 

CHARLES     BUTLER 


CHAPTER  I 

THE    ANCESTRY BIRTH    AND    EARLY    LIFE- 
SCHOOL  DAYS STUDY  FOR  PROFESSIONAL 

LIFE INFLUENCES   THAT    MOULDED 

CHARACTER 


CHARLES  BUTLER  was  born  on  Febru- 
ary 15,1 802,  in  the  little  town  of  Kinder- 
hook  Landing,  on  the  Hudson  River. 
This  name  has  passed  away  from  the  map  of 
New  York,  the  town  now  being  known  as  Stuy- 
vesant.  The  settlement  was  never  a  large  one  ; 
but  was  favorably  situated  for  the  small-tonnage 
river  commerce  of  the  early  days.  Its  nearest 
large  neighbor  on  the  south  was  Hudson,  ten  miles 
below ;  on  the  North  Albany,  eighteen  miles 
above.  In  Charles  Butler's  boyhood  it  was  one 
of  the  river  outlets  of  Columbia  County,  a  region 
of  fine  farms,  valuable  forests,  useful  water  power, 
and  charming  lakes  ;  and  the  outlet  also  of  a  large 
part  of  the  Berkshire   region  of  Western  Massa- 

3 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


chusetts.  Columbia  County  is  known  to  students 
of  the  history  of  New  York  State  as  the  home  of 
many  of  its  most  noted  early  Dutch  citizens,  in- 
cluding among  other  families  the  Van  Burens,  the 
Wendovers,  the  Van  Alens,  the  Vanderpoels  and 
the  Van  Schaicks. 

Charles  Butler  was  not  of  Dutch  stock.  The 
history  of  the  family  in  America  runs  back  to 
1724,  when  its  founder,  Jonathan  Butler,  an  Irish 
gentleman,  came  to  this  country  and  settled  at 
Saybrook,  Connecticut.  Jonathan  Butler  married 
Temperance  Buckingham,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Daniel  Buckingham,  and  granddaughter  of 
Thomas  Buckingham,  one  of  the  founders  of 
Yale  College.  Ezekiel,  the  fourth  son  of  Jona- 
than Butler,  married  Mabel  Jones  of  Saybrook, 
who  was  granddaughter  of  William  Jones,  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of  New  Haven  Colony,  the  son 
of  the  Puritan,  Parliament  leader  and  regicide. 
Colonel  John  Jones,*  and   who  was  great-grand- 

*  Colonel  John  Jones  was  one  of  the  Judges  in  the  High  Court 
of  Justice  created  for  the  trial  of  Charles  I.,  and  with  the  other 
judges  signed  and  sealed  the  deed  of  execution  for  the  death  of  the 
King.  In  1650  he  was  appointed  Lord  Lieutenant  of  Ireland  ;  he 
was  for  many  years  a  member  of  Cromwell's  Parliament,  and  in 
1656  he  married  for  his  second  wife  Catherine,  sister  of  Oliver 
Cromwell.      On  the  Restoration  of  Charles  II.  Colonel  Jones  was 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

daughter  of  Theophilus  Eaton,  who  founded  the 
colony  of  New  Haven,  organized  its  government, 
and  was  its  first  governor. 

beheaded,  October  17,  1660,  aged  81.  William  Jones,  the  eldest 
son  of  Colonel  John  Jones,  was  bom  in  London,  in  1624,  and  was 
a  Counsellor-at-Law at  Westminster  from  1647  to  1658.  In  Lon- 
don he  met  and  married  Hannah,  the  youngest  daughter  of 
Theophilus  Eaton,  and  with  her  came  to  this  country  in  July,  1660, 
bringing  with  him  Whalley  and  GofF,  two  of  the  Regicides.  His 
home  in  New  Haven  became  thereafter  a  place  of  refuge  for  Puri- 
tans driven  from  England.  He  was  chosen  magistrate  soon  after 
his  arrival,  and  in  1664  was  elected  Deputy  Governor  of  New 
Haven  Colony.  He  lived  for  many  years  thereafter  in  the  mansion 
which  had  been  erected  by  Governor  Eaton,  a  magnificent  edifice 
for  those  early  days,  with  thirty  rooms  and  twenty-one  fireplaces, 
standing  on  what  is  now  the  north  corner  of  Elm  and  Orange  Streets 
in  New  Haven.  After  the  union  of  New  Haven  Colony  with  the 
Colony  of  Connecticut  in  1665,  William  Jones  was  annually  elected 
Magistrate,  and  for  five  years,  after  1692,  was  Lieutenant-Governor 
of  the  Colony  of  Connecticut.  A  monument  to  Theophilus  Eaton 
was  erected  on  the  green  in  New  Haven,  in  the  rear  of  the  Centre 
Church,  and  had  on  it  these  inscriptions  : 

Theophilus  Eaton,  Esqr.,  Govr.,  dec'd  Jan'y,  1657,  Aetat  67. 
Eaton,  so  fam'd,  so  wise,  so  meek,  so  just. 
The  Phoenix  of  our  world,  here  hides  his  dust. 
This  name  forget.  New  England  never  must. 
Wm.   Jones  Esq.,  D.  Govr.  dec'd  Oct.    17,    1706,   Aetat   82. 
Hannah  Jones,  daughter  of  Governor  Eaton,  dec'd  May  4,  1707, 
Aetat  74. 

T' attend  you.  Sir,  under  these  framed  stones. 
Are  come  your  honored  Son  and  daughter  Jones, 
On  each  hand  to  repose  their  wearied  bones. 

This  monument  was  afterwards  removed  to  the  southeastern  part 
of  the  city  cemetery,  in  New  Haven. 


THE     LIFE      AND     LETTERS 

Medad  Butler,  one  of  the  eight  children  of 
Ezekiel  Butler  and  Mabel  Jones,  was  born  in 
Branford,  Connecticut,  in  January,  1766,  and  died 
in  New  York  in  1847.  His  father  had  moved 
from  Saybrook  to  Branford  and  there  established 
himself  shortly  before  Medad's  birth.  In  the 
third  quarter  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  town 
of  Branford  was  relatively  of  greater  importance 
than  now.  Its  harbor — which  was  greatly  dam- 
aged by  storms  in  the  winter  of  1822-23  and 
thereafter  neglected — was  then  preferred  to  that  of 
New  Haven.  There  was  traffic  by  water,  in  the 
little  coasting  sloops  of  those  days,  with  the  ports 
to  the  eastward  along  the  sound,  with  New  York, 
and  with  the  towns  then  springing  up  along  the 
Hudson  River.  Two  other  sons  of  Jonathan 
Butler — John  and  Charles — came  from  Saybrook 
and  became  prominent  citizens  when  the  town  was 
in  the  period  of  its  prosperity.  Charles  was,  in 
1786,  the  only  merchant  in  Branford  ;  and  his  de- 
scendants long  occupied  the  large  and  comfortable 
house  on  the  village  green  still  remembered  as  the 
Butler  homestead,  whose  site  is  now  occupied  by 
the  Blackstone   Memorial  Library. 

The  youth  of  Medad  Butler  was  passed  in  the 

6 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


stirring  revolutionary  days.     His  eldest  brother 
Ezekiel  served  through  the  war  and  was  honorably 
discharged  at  its  close.      Medad  was  but  ten  years 
old  when  it  broke  out,  but  he  was  one  of  the  boys 
of '76  in  Branford,  who,  we  are  told,  educated  their 
pastor  into  patriotism.     The  minister  of  the  vil- 
lage church  was  very  much  of  a  loyalist  and  care- 
fully avoided  any  expression  of  encouragement  to 
what  he   regarded  as   the  rebellious   spirit  of  the 
people  against  established  authority.     The  boys 
of  Branford,  animated  with  the  patriotic  spirit  of 
their  fathers,  thought  they  might  do  something  to 
effect  a  favorable  change  in  his  attitude.      So  on  a 
Saturday  evening  they  got  possession  of  a  cannon, 
loaded  it,  placed  it  on  the  turf  in  the  rear  of  the 
church,  and  pointed  it  in  range  with  the  pulpit. 
This  was  done  in  the  night.     In  the  morning,  as 
the  minister  was  about  to  enter  the  church,  his 
attention  was  called  to  the  position  of  that  can- 
non, and  he  was  notified  that  if  he  failed  to  pray 
for  the  success  of  the  Rebellion,  the  cannon  would 
be  fired  and  he  might  take  the  consequences.     It 
is  recorded  that  he  prayed  earnestly  as  suggested, 
and  that  ever  after  there  was  no  question  of  his 
loyalty  to  the  cause  of  the  people. 


7 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


Patriot  though  he  was,  Medad  was  too  young 
to  enUst  until  1783,  when  the  English  made  raids 
on  the  Connecticut  coast  at  Stonington,  at  New 
London,  and  at  neighboring  places  ;  and  a  call  was 
made  upon  all  young  men,  of  sufficient  age  to  carry 
a  musket,  to  turn  out  in  defence  of  the  country. 
The  boy  of  seventeen  responded  and  remained  in 
the  service  for  more  than  six  months  until  the 
war  ended.  "  He  often,"  said  his  son,  "referred 
to  this  incident  in  his  life,  not  only  with  a  feeling 
of  gratitude  but  also  of  pride  for  having  had  the 
opportunity  of  taking  any  part  in  that  struggle 
for  liberty."  When  years  afterwards  he  might 
have  availed  himself  of  the  provision  made  by  the 
generous  government  of  a  pension  to  all  who  had 
rendered  to  it  any  service,  however  slight,  in  its 
hour  of  extremity,  he  declined  to  make  application, 
satisfied  with  the  memory  of  his  youthful  effort 
in  his  country's  cause. 

In  1 78 1  Ezekiel  Butler  died  and  his  widow 
was  left  with  eight  children  to  care  for.  Then  the 
eldest  son  Ezekiel  took  up  the  burden.  Like 
most  of  his  race  he  was  at  heart  a  pioneer,  and 
seeking  to  win  a  home  he  went  a  two  days'  jour- 
ney  through   a  wilderness   to  what   was   then    a 

8 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


promised  land  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson.  He 
settled  in  the  young  city  of  Hudson  and  there 
established  the  family,  whose  fortunes  he  thence- 
forward directed  with  unselfish  zeal.  He  soon 
found  a  situation  for  young  Medad  in  Claverack, 
a  town  a  few  miles  inland  from  Hudson,  with  Mr. 
John  C.  Hogeboom,  the  father  of  Judge  Henry 
Hogeboom,  himself  in  after  years  a  distinguished 
citizen,  President  of  the  Bank  of  Hudson,  mem- 
ber of  the  Senate  of  New  York  State,  and  High 
Sheriff — succeeding  in  that  office  his  father,  Cor- 
nelius Hogeboom,  who  was  killed  in  1 791,  by 
the  "  High-Renters,"  in  the  performance  of  his 
duty.  Mr.  Hogeboom  became  interested  in  the 
young  man,  very  likely  in  part  because  of  his  at- 
tractive personal  appearance.  Most  of  the  But- 
lers were  fine-looking  men,  with  a  bearing  com- 
bining dignity  and  graciousness ;  and  Medad  was 
no  exception. 

"  He  was,"  said  a  contemporary  chronicler, 
"  an  extremely  pretty  lad,  fresh  complexion,  blue 
eyes,  dark  hair,  genteelly  built,  and  very  sensible, 
though  not  yet  twenty-one  years  old;"  and  it  is 
hinted  that  he  rivalled  in  grace  his  brother  next 
older  whom  this  chronicler  alludes  to  as  "  the  dis- 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

tinguished  Mr.  Elias,"  and  who,  he  claims,  was 
"  the  very  politest  man  in  the  whole  world." 
This  brother  Elias  was  then  in  Hudson,  but 
found  a  home  for  himself  later  in  Delaware 
County,  where  before  his  death,  in  1 804,  when  he 
was  scarcely  more  than  forty  years  old,  he  had 
become  High  Sheriff,  State  Assemblyman,  and 
Brigadier-General  of  the  State  Militia.  Mr.  Hoge- 
boom's  interest  in  Medad  took  a  practical  turn 
and  he  proposed  that  they  should  start  out  to- 
gether to  find  some  spot  where  the  young  man 
might  begin  life  for  himself.  So  up  and  down 
the  river  the  two  friends  journeyed,  visiting  Troy 
and  other  promising  localities,  until  they  ended 
their  quest  at  Kinderhook  Landing,  where  about 
1792  Medad  Butler,  under  the  patronage  of  Mr. 
Hogeboom,  began  his  business  life. 

It  was  the  custom  of  those  days  for  one  who 
had  established  himself  in  business,  promptly  to 
make  for  himself  a  home.  The  New  England 
spirit  is  strong  in  the  descendants  of  her  soil  and 
it  was  natural  for  her  sons  to  look  to  her  daughters 
as  their  life  companions.  The  elder  brother  of 
Medad,  Ezekiel,  had  just  then  gone  back  to 
Branford  to  win  as  his  wife  his  boyhood's  friend. 


10 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

Miss  Lydia  Frisbee,  in  the  home  of  his  childhood. 
This  may  have  stirred  the  fancy  of  Medad  Butler 
and  turned  his  thoughts  also  toward  New  Eng- 
land. At  any  rate  fortune  promptly  favored  him. 
One  of  his  first  friends  when  he  settled  in  Kinder- 
hook  Landing  was  Samuel  Tylee,  son  of  a 
Connecticut  family,  resident  then  in  Hartford. 
The  Tylee  family  was  one  of  note  in  those  days. 
Mrs.  Tylee,  Samuel's  mother,  was  cousin  of  the 
eminent  theologian,  Dr.  Nathaniel  Emmons. 
Her  two  daughters,  Clarissa  and  Hannah,  used 
afterwards  to  recall  entertaining  George  Washing- 
ton at  tea  and  being  much  delighted  when  the 
great  man  said  of  Clarisssa,  "  What  a  beautiful 
girl !  "  It  chanced  that  the  younger  sister  Hannah 
Tylee  in  1790  made  what  was,  for  those  days,  a 
somewhat  adventurous  two  days'  journey  over- 
land from  Hartford  for  a  visit  to  her  brother 
Samuel.  She  tells  us  of  her  arrival  at  eleven 
o'clock  at  night  when  in  the  moonlight  the  silvery 
waters  of  the  Hudson  vividly  impressed  her  girlish 
imagination.  Four  years  later  in  1794,  this  same 
Hannah  Tylee,  grown  to  be  a  woman  of  twenty- 
two,  accompanied  by  her  brother  Walter  Tylee, 
set  sail  from  East  Haddam   on  a  coasting  sloop, 


II 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


for  a  voyage  through  the  Sound  and  up  the  Hud- 
son River  on  another  visit  to  Samuel  Tylee  at 
Kinderhook  Landing.  The  name  of  this  good 
ship  is  lost,  but  it  is  recorded  that  its  able  com- 
mander, Captain  Roberts,  managed  to  make  the 
voyage  from  Haddam  to  Kinderhook  in  three 
weeks.  It  was  when  Hannah  Tylee  was  on  this 
visit  that  she  was  introduced  by  Captain  Van  Alen, 
an  old  friend  of  the  family,  to  Medad  Butler;  and 
six  months  later,  in  December,  1794,  they  were 
married  by  the  Dutch  minister  Dominie  Labaugh. 
Kinderhook  Landing  was  then  no  bustling 
mart  of  commerce — a  "  veritable  sleepy  hollow," 
one  of  the  children  called  it — but  Judge  Medad 
Butler  became  a  man  of  more  than  local  influence. 
He  lived  on  the  highland  two  hundred  feet  above 
the  river,  in  a  house  commanding  a  fine  view  of 
the  stream,  the  opposite  shore  and  the  Catskill 
mountains  to  the  west.  The  business  he  conducted 
was  that  of  general  factor.  He  founded  a  store 
at  the  lower  landing,  owned  vessels,  established  a 
sloop  transportation  route  to  New  York  and  con- 
trolled in  a  great  measure  the  exchange  business 
of  the  region.  New  Englander  as  he  was  and 
something  of  a  stranger   to  the  Dutch   traditions 


IZ 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

of  the  county,  he  did  not  at  once  enter  political 
life  ;  but  the  records  of  the  town  and  of  the  county 
are  full  of  recognition  of  the  services  he  rendered. 
He  became  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  ;  six 
separate  times  was  appointed  Justice  of  the  Peace 
by  successive  governors  ;  was  corporator  and  sup- 
porter of  public  and  private  enterprises  ;  and 
was  for  half  a  century  a  substantial,  patriotic 
citizen. 

Such  was  the  ancestry  of  Charles  Butler.  The 
traditions  and  hereditary  associations  of  his  early 
home  tended  to  carry  him  back  to  a  New  Eng- 
land habit  of  mind,  a  New  England  religious  at- 
titude, a  New  England  independence  of  thought. 
But  outside  of  his  own  home  most  of  his  early  as- 
sociations made  him  subject  to  another  influence. 
The  sturdy  Dutch  stock  which  has  helped  to  make 
New  York  the  Empire  State  had  come  to  this 
country  for  exploration's  sake  as  had  the  Pilgrims 
for  conscience's  sake.  Both  races  were  honest, 
self-reliant,  independent.  Their  influence  was 
potent  in  the  development  of  Charles  Butler's 
character  and  fortunes,  and  to  his  latest  day  he 
united  the  imagination  of  the  New  Englander 
with    the    practical    shrewd  sense  of  the    Dutch 

13 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


settler,  joining  the  clear-sightedness  which  gives 
success  in  this  world  to  the  religious  fervor  which 
never  rests  in  its  eflForts  to  fit  men  for  a  higher 
sphere. 

To  Medad  and  Hannah  Tylee  Butler  were 
born  in  all  twelve  children  ;  but  only  six  of  these, 
three  sons  and  three  daughters,  survived  infancy. 
Charles  Butler,  the  third  child,  was  the  youngest 
of  the  three  sons.  The  eldest  son  was  Benjamin 
Franklin,  a  distinguished  statesman  and  jurist,  one 
of  the  Revisers  of  the  Statutes  of  New  York, 
and  Attorney-General  of  the  United  States  under 
Jackson  and  Van  Buren.  Walter,  the  second 
son,  a  man  of  unusual  charm  of  character,  became 
a  substantial  citizen  of  his  native  town,  its  post- 
master, inspector  of  its  schools,  and  interested  in 
its  commerce.  He  was  managing  agent  of  the 
Kinderhook  and  Stuyvesant  Steamboat  Associ- 
ation under  which  the  steamboat  United  States  be- 
gan in  1834  to  make  regular  trips  to  New  York. 
He  removed  to  Chicago  with  his  family,  a  few 
years  before  his  death  in  185 1.  Of  the  three 
daughters,  the  eldest,  Clarissa  Tylee,  married  Dr. 
Charles  B.  Coventry.  Harriet,  the  second  daugh- 
ter, married   Rev.  Henry   Bishop  Holmes.  The 

14 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

youngest  daughter,  Cornelia,  married  Mr.  Abram 
Van  Alen. 

The  life  at  Kinderhook  was  a  simple  one.  But 
simple  as  it  was  there  are  still  traditions  of  Charles 
Butler's  boyhood  that  are  amusingly  illustrative  of 
the  traits  that  gave  him  success  in  later  life.  The 
lad  was  a  born  organizer.  It  was  part  of  his  duty 
of  a  Saturday  to  heap  up  chips  and  kindling  for 
the  week's  supply  of  the  family  fire.  This  to 
most  boys  would  be  merely  a  toil  to  be  put 
through  as  speedily  as  possible.  But  to  this  boy 
it  was  an  opportunity.  He  organized  the  pro- 
ceeding into  a  function,  as  later  in  life  he  organ- 
ized the  business  corporations  which  were  to  de- 
velop States.  And  one  of  the  earliest  and  most 
characteristic  recollections  of  him  which  his  sister 
Harriet  retained  was  of  seeing  him  at  the  head  of 
a  troop  of  boys  as  captain,  walking  very  erect  and 
carrying  a  flag,  while  the  others  followed  tugging 
along  baskets  and  wheel-barrows  full  of  chips  and 
kindlings.  Indeed  all  the  family  memories  testify 
to  the  habit  of  leadership  which  the  boy  manifested 
in  these  early  days.  He  whittled  the  children's 
dolls,  he  directed  the  children's  sports,  and  he 
planned  the  actions  of  his  playmates  with  such 

IS 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

exactness  that  they  looked  upon  him  almost  with 
awe. 

The  opportunities  for  primary  education  in 
Kinderhook  Landing  were  far  better  than  one 
might  have  expected,  mainly  through  the  influ- 
ence of  an  excellent  teacher,  Mr.  John  Freese,  a 
young  man  from  Massachusetts,  who  came  to  the 
town  intending  to  take  boat  for  Long  Island,  and 
whom  Medad  Butler,  mindful  of  the  needs  of  his 
children,  induced  to  remain.  Mr.  Freese,  who 
was  an  accomplished  classical  scholar,  maintained 
a  district  school,  which  Charles  attended  until  he 
was  fourteen.  Then  his  father  sent  him  to  an 
academy  just  established  at  Greeneville,  New 
York,  in  Greene  County,  across  the  river  from 
Kinderhook  Landing,  due  west  perhaps  a  dozen 
miles. 

No  record  of  the  curriculum  of  this  academy  in 
its  opening  years  has  been  preserved.  It  was, 
however,  one  of  a  class  of  very  useful  educational 
institutions,  made  relatively  less  important  by  the 
specializing  tendencies  of  later  days,  but  which  did 
a  great  work  in  New  England  and  New  York  half 
a  century  ago  (scarcely  appreciated  as  yet  by 
modern  educators).     The  direct  successor  of  the 

i6 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


Academy  may  perhaps  be  said  to  be  the  High 
School.  But  the  Academy,  in  its  best  era,  was  far 
more  than  a  High  School.  It  was  at  once  a 
normal  school,  a  conservatory  of  music  and  of  arts, 
a  college  preparatory  school,  a  nursery  of  classical 
studies,  and  an  institution  for  thorough,  discip- 
linary and  cultural  training.  At  the  head  of  the 
Greeneville  Academy  in  i  8 16  were  Doctors  Parker 
and  Huntington,  men  of  sound  learning.  Charles 
Butler  did  not  technically  fit  himself  for  college, 
having  in  mind  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
brother,  Benjamin  Franklin,  and  to  enter  as 
promptly  as  possible  upon  the  practice  of  the  law  ; 
but  he  took  the  full  classical  course,  as  then  given 
by  the  Academy. 

Martin  Van  Buren  had  been  one  of  the  friends 
of  Medad  Butler  during  his  residence  at  Kinder- 
hook.  In  1818,  when  Charles  Butler  finished 
his  studies  at  Greeneville,  Mr.  Van  Buren  was 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Albany.  In 
that  very  year  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  who  had 
studied  law  in  his  office,  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
and  became  his  junior  partner.  Public  law 
schools  did  not  exist  then  ;  it  was  seventeen  years 
later    that    Benjamin    Franklin    Butler     himself 

17 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

founded  one  in  the  New  York  University.  But 
even  before  the  establishment  of  regular  schools  the 
system  was  a  reasonably  rigid  one.  The  period 
of  clerkship  required  before  admission  to  the  bar 
was  seven  years,  from  which  in  the  case  of  a 
student  who  had  attended  an  Academy  or  Pre- 
paratory School  the  time  spent  in  classical  studies 
could  be  deducted.  In  the  case  of  Charles  Butler, 
therefore,  the  required  period  was  reduced  to 
something  less  than  six  years.  He  entered  the 
Albany  office  in  1 8 1 8,  and  there  began  his  studies, 
at  first  with  his  brother,  afterwards  with  Martin 
Van  Buren. 

He  became  an  inmate  of  the  Van  Buren  home, 
and  his  first  experience  there  was  in  giving  help 
and  comfort  to  Mrs.  Van  Buren,  then  dying  of 
consumption.  Night  after  night  he  sat  by  her 
bedside  reading  the  Bible  aloud  to  her.  There 
was  in  his  nature  the  tenderness  of  a  woman 
and  the  imaginative  reverence  of  a  saint.  The 
record  of  his  helpfulness  in  things  small  as  well  as 
great — in  getting  a  cup  of  tea  for  a  weary  aged 
couple,  total  strangers,  on  a  railway  car,  as  well  as 
in  founding  a  Theological  Seminary — is  as  long  a 
story  as  the  story  of  his  life.     The  strong  indivi- 

i8 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 


duality  of  Martin  Van  Buren  the  man  appealed 
to  his  young  imagination.     Still   more    did    the 
advocate    Van     Buren     arouse     his    enthusiasm. 
"  The  case,"  he  said  of  one  noted  trial  (Troup 
vs.  Wood  and  Sherwood,  4  John.  Ch.  228)  "was 
opened  by  Mr.  Van  Buren  for  the  complainants 
with  a  speech  surpassing  everything  perhaps  ever 
delivered  by  him.      In  fact  every  one  present  was 
charmed,  and  as  for  Colonel  Troup  he  could  not 
contain  himself,  for  never  was  a  man   so  agitated 
by  mere  words."     And  then  he  described  one  of 
those  dramatic  scenes  with  which  the  great  lawyers 
of  the  earlier  days  were  wont  to  compel  the  con- 
victions of  a  jury.     It  was  a  case  of  conspiracy  to 
get  possession — by   means  of  a  judgment    long 
before  satisfied  but  never  recorded — of  the  pro- 
perty of  a  man  who  had  been  convicted  of  forgery, 
had  been  imprisoned  for  life,  and  was  therefore 
"  civilly  dead."      Considering  him    civilly    dead 
the    conspirators    had,  so  claimed   his  advocate. 
Van   Buren,  practiced  frauds  upon  his  property. 
Up  to  the  days  of  the  trial  the  defendants  had  not 
known  that  this  man — the  only  one  acquainted 
with  the  facts  of  the   long-past  period  when  the 
conspirators  first  laid    their  schemes — had  been 

19 


THE    LIFE      AND     LETTERS 


pardoned,  and  thereby  restored  to  "civil  life." 
It  was  his  dramatic  reappearance   in  court  which 
made  the  climax  of  Mr.  Van  Buren's  advocacy. 
"  Mr.    Kent,"  said   Charles,  in  describing  the 
scene,   "whilst   Judge,   had  tried  and   sentenced 
Platner  about  twenty  years  ago,  nor  did  he  now,  in 
the  capacity  of  Chancellor,  know  that  Platner  was 
even  alive.     The  impression  made  by  Mr.   Van 
Buren  on  the  Chancellor  was  such — especially  in 
describing  the  unfortunate  situation  of  Platner  at 
the  time  when  the  defendants  were  practising  the 
grossest   of  frauds  on  his   property,   and  seizing 
the  moment  when  no  danger  was  apprehended  of 
being  detected,  as  the  only   person  on  whom  all 
depended  was  under  a  sentence  of  life  imprison- 
ment— that  the  Chancellor  interrupted   him  and 
inquired  whether  Platner  was  living  ;  and  Mr.  Van 
Buren  pointed  toward  the  man  within  arm's  reach 
of  His  Honor.    The  Chancellor  examined  him  for 
a  second,  very  attentively,  and  then  said  :   '  Well, 
he    is    a   resurrection  man, — and   a  very  worthy 
one.'  "     The   counsel  for   the  defendant,   the  re- 
nowned jury  advocate,  Elisha  Williams,  followed 
in  a  three  hours'  speech  ;  but  the  case  was  already 
won   by   Mr.  Van  Buren.     All  this  was  stimulat- 


zo 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


ing  to  the  boy  of  seventeen,  as  was  the  association 
not  only  with  the  successful  jurist,  but  with  other 
strong  men  whom  he  met  in  the  Albany  office. 

Another  influence,  perhaps  as  powerful  as  any 
single  moulding  force  on  Charles  Butler's  char- 
acter, was  that  of  his  elder  brother.      Benjamin 
Franklin    Butler,    in    May,    1818,    had    married 
Miss  Harriet  Allen,*  of  Hudson,  and  a  year  later 
had   undertaken    an    independent   law  career   at 
Sandy  Hill,  a  village  on  the  Hudson,  about  fifty 
miles  north  of  Albany.     Here  he  shortly  became 
an  active  lawyer,  the  president  of  the  Washington 
and  Warren    Bank,  and  a  power,  political  and 
financial,  in    that   sparsely    settled  region.     The 
correspondence  carried  on  for  many  years  between 
Franklin  and  Charles  gives  evidence  of  the  warm- 
est   friendship    and    most    helpful     tenderness. 
Charles  was  barely  seventeen,  Benjamin  Franklin 
not  yet  twenty-four,  when  it  opened  ;    but  the 
maturity  of  the  man  and  the  manliness  of  the  boy 
make   the    letters   delightful    to    read.       Charles 

*  She  was  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Howard  Allen,  of  Hudson,  and 
sister  of  the  distinguished  Lieutenant  William  Howard  Allen,  of 
the  United  States  Navy,  who  was  killed  in  1823  at  Matanzas  while 
gallantly  leading  a  boat  attack  upon  a  piratical  squadron,  and  to 
whose  memory  his  native  town  erected  a  monuments 

21 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


assisted,  Franklin  counseled,  and  all  in  the  sincerest 
fashion.  The  domestic  problems  which  we  con- 
sider now  to  be  peculiar  to  our  time  were,  it 
appears,  equally  urgent  then.  The  young  wife 
at  Sandy  Hill  needed  a  servant.  (The  current 
rate  of  wages,  it  may  be  remarked,  parenthetically, 
as  illustrative  of  the  change  in  the  value  of  labor 
in  three-quarters  of  a  century,  was  one  dollar  a 
week).  Sandy  Hill  could  not  supply  the  demand. 
The  metropolis  at  Albany  had  to  be  drawn  upon 
for  the  "  general  housework  maid  "  desired,  and  it 
was  the  boy  Charles  who  discovered  and  secured 
one.  It  became  a  matter  for  serious  judgment 
which  of  two  he  should  select ;  he  finally  sent 
Pender,  a  stalwart  dusky  maiden,  up  to  Sandy  Hill 
with  a  genial  letter.  The  boy  had  evidently  been 
reading  Nathaniel  Lee's  tragedy  of  "  The  Rival 
Queens,"  in  which  the  Bactrian  Roxana  wins 
against  Statira,  and  it  suggested  a  comparison  of 
his  own  experience  with  that  of  Alexander  in  the 
play. 

"  Yours,  by  Pender,"  said  Benjamin  Franklin 
in  reply,  "  was  received  with  much  pleasure.  I 
am  very  glad  that  you  took  the  course  you  did 
with  respect  to  the  '  Rival  Queens.'     The  catas- 


zz 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

trophe  was  not  quite  so  tragical  as  that  which 
befell  the  unfortunate  Statira,  but  in  other  points 
the  allusion  would  hold  good.  Your  zeal  and 
intrepidity  might  well  be  compared  with  the 
chivalrous  spirit  of  Alexander,  and  Pender's  ma- 
jestic form  might  rival  the  commanding  dignity  of 
Roxana.  .  .  .  The  political  news  of  the  metrop- 
oHs  "  (alluding  to  a  recent  official  act  of  Governor 
De  Witt  Clinton)  "  was  a  matter  of  much  surprise 
to  me.  I  hope  you  and  Mr.  Hoyt  will  keep 
tolerably  cool,  as  the  warm  season  may  soon  be 
expected  (write  me  about  the  Sunday-school  and 
tell  me  how  it  flourishes).  I  need  not  say  any- 
thing to  you  about  the  importance  of  close  and 
vigorous  attention  to  office  duty  and  reading.  Do 
not  make  too  many  acquaintances,  and  be  cau- 
tious in  those  you  do  make.  Above  all  things, 
never  be  ashamed  of  being  more  virtuous  or  less 
gay  than  the  rest  of  the  world.  Endeavor  to  re- 
tain as  much  as  possible  the  scrupulous  regard  to 
truth,  honesty  and  virtue  which  you  had  when  a 
child,  and  try  to  be  as  ignorant  of  everything  that 
opposes  them  as  you  were  then.  Let  conscience 
do  her  office  fully  and  faithfully,  and  be  careful 
never  to  resist  her  dictates,  or  even  to  reason  with 

23 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

her  supposed  absurdities.  The  moment  you  be- 
gin to  think  her  over-nice,  that  moment  your 
integrity  is  in  danger.  Remember  me  to  Mr. 
Van  Buren  and  the  family." 

It  was  characteristic  of  the  brotherly  relations 
of  this  period,  as  indeed  it  was  of  the  whole  lives 
of  both  brothers  that  the  practical  was  never  sep- 
arated from  the  moral  and  religious  in  their  words 
and  thoughts.  Charles  bought  the  wall-paper  and 
the  carpeting  for  the  house  at  Sandy  Hill ;  and 
Benjamin  Franklin  with  equal  zeal  cared  for  the 
mental  and  physical  welfare  of  the  boy.  He  had 
a  coat  made  for  Charles  by  Mr.  Stead  at  South 
State  and  Market  Streets,  and  he  paid  the  bill, 
which  came  to  fourteen  dollars. 

With  the  generosity  went  excellent  advice  to  the 
spruce  young  man  at  Albany  :  "  I  pray  you  have 
a  little  discretion  in  your  pride.  Don't  wear  your 
new  coat  all  the  while  when  you  get  one,  and  per- 
haps the  next  will  last  longer  than  the  one  you 
now  have."  Some  months  later  Charles,  having 
somewhat  exceeded  his  modest  allowance  for  ward- 
robe— and  it  is  characteristic  of  the  simple  days  of 
our  fathers  that  his  indiscretion  had  been  no  more 
than  the  simultaneous   purchase  of  two  pairs  of 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

trousers  at  a  total  cost  of  thirteen  dollars  and  fifty 
cents, — Benjamin  Franklin  again  paid  the  bill  with 
cheerfulness,  and  added : 

"  But  this  circumstance  gives  me  an  opportunity 
of  repeating  what  I  have  before  suggested  to  you, 
the  absolute  necessity  of  the  most  rigid  economy 
on  your  part.  I  have  no  doubt  you  will  cheer- 
fully submit,  while  preparing  for  future  usefulness, 
to  those  little  inconveniences  which  to  fops  and 
fools  are  great  misfortunes,  but  to  persons  of 
prudence  and  discretion  are  rather  incentives  to 
exertion  and  motives  to  perseverance.  A  young 
man  who  is  not  born  to  fortune,  *  having  food 
and  raiment '  ought  '  therewith  to  be  content ' — 
because  he  is  rarely  in  a  situation  to  earn  any- 
thing, and  the  world  does  not  expect  that  he 
can  be  enabled  to  provide  for  his  wants  until  he 
has  made  himself  acquainted  with  some  means  of 
procuring  a  livelihood.  Poverty,  and  the  appear- 
ance of  poverty,  are  therefore  no  reproach  to  the 
student.  But  a  gaudy  ostentation  in  articles  of 
dress  and  a  fondness  for  the  gaieties  of  fashionable 
life  are  as  disreputable  in  the  eyes  of  the  world  as 
unbecoming  in  a  young  person.  Let  me  exhort 
you    above    all    things   to  beware  of  contracting 

^5 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

debts  of  any  kind  before  you  are  settled  in  life. 
Rather  choose  to  go  without  many  things  that 
might  be  very  necessary,  than  to  procure  them 
upon  credit." 

All  this  was  good  advice  for  the  boy  and  he 
took  it  in  good  part,  though  in  his  reply,  in  his 
gentle  way,  he  made  some  counter  claims.  "  In  the 
present  age  of  foppery  and  folly,"  he  said,  "  you 
must  confess  that  a  young  man  may  be  led  amiss 
by  the  glitter  of  dress  and  with  some  vestige  of 
plausible  excuse.  I  havebeen  under  the  actual  neces- 
sity," he  added  humorously,"  of  having  my  clothes 
washed  by  a  washerwoman  for  the  three  months 
that  I  have  been  here  and  will  have  to  continue 
in  having  them  washed  so,  money  or  no  money." 

In  greater  matters  than  the  details  of  personal 
expenditure  the  elder  brother  was  also  of  use  to 
Charles.  The  spring  of  1 8 19  brought  a  serious 
question,  regarding  a  change  of  career.  To  the 
enterprising  boy  the  brilliant  opportunities  of  a 
naval  officer  offered  more  attractions  than  the  rou- 
tine of  a  lawyer's  life.  He  was  eager  to  enter  the 
navy  ;  through  the  connections  by  marriage  of 
Benjamin  Franklin  the  way  seemed  easy,  and  his 
desire  was  considered  carefully. 

26 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

"  I  should/'wrote  Benjamin  Franklin  in  April, 
"  supposing  it  certain  that  you  can  get  the  warrant, 
be  unable  at  this  time  to  recommend  it.  Your 
parents  are  the  proper  persons  by  whom  such  a 
proposition  ought  to  be  decided,and  I  am  confident 
you  will  submit  to  their  wishesand  decision.  When 
I  was  of  your  age  I  also  had  my  head  filled  with  the 
splendid  achievements  of  our  naval  heroes,  and  it 
seemed  an  object  well  worth  risking  life  for,  if  the 
glory  of  a  Hull  or  a  Lawrence  could  be  attained.  A 
few  years  have  satisfied  me  that  it  was  very  fortunate 
for  me  that  my  boyish  projects  were  overruled  by 
the  better  judgment  of  my  father.  I  do  not  con- 
sider your  prospects  in  the  law  as  so  very  unpro- 
mising. You  have  talents  equal  to  its  labors,  and 
I  dare  say  would  succeed  in  it.  To  say  nothing 
of  the  dangers  and  hardships  of  a  sailor's  life — of 
the  hazards  run  by  those  who  risk  their  lives  on 
the  '  faithless  deep ' — of  the  great  sacrifices  they 
must  make  of  social  comforts  and  domestic  hap- 
piness— how  few  are  there  who  arrive  at  an  ad- 
vanced station — of  those  few  how  many  who  are 
unsuccessful — how  few  are  crowned  with  honor." 

He  also  warned  him  against  the  dangerous  in- 
fluences of  the  life  on  a  man-of-war,  and  concluded 

27 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


by  saying  :  "  I  hope  you  will  not  get  alarmed  for 
your  future  destinies,  and  will  be  governed  entirely 
by  your  parents."  The  question  was  not  at  once 
settled.  Charles  was  at  first  eager  for  the  new 
life,  Benjamin  Franklin  very  doubtful  of  its  wis- 
dom. 

"  I  believe,"  Benjamin  Franklin  wrote,  "  your 
head  is  filled  with  ^  guns  and  trumpets,  blunder- 
busses, drums  and  thunder,'  therefore  I  have  no 
doubt  the  law  must  be  an  *  empty  science*  to 
you.  I  form  this  opinion  from  the  lofty  style 
of  some  of  your  late  letters.  Pray  read  Blair's 
Lectures  morning,  noon,  and  night,  and  study 
Murray's  Grammar  until  you  ascertain  that  such 
sentences  as  '  I  premise  to  make  an  answer,'  *  the 
conflux  of  a  moment,'  *  inflict  a  goad  upon  my 
feelings,'  are  neither  sublime,  elegant,  nor  gram- 
matical. Endeavor  to  keep  in  mind  that  there  is 
but  a  step  from  the  sublime  to  the  ridiculous,  and 
that  he  who  writes  with  the  least  labor  and  affec- 
tation is  generally  the  most  successful  in  composi- 
tion. Addison's  Spectator  is  a  good  model  for 
any  one.  Do  not  be  ofi^ended  with  my  plainness. 
I  am  really  mortified  that  when  you  understand 
the  use  of  language  and  possess  genius  and  talent 

z8 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

you  should  permit  yourself  to  be  drawn  away  from 
the  simplicity  of  nature  into  the  flowery  but  dan- 
gerous fields  of  rhetoric,  where  one  can  hardly  tread 
with  safety  unless  long  accustomed  to  its  path." 

But  Benjamin  Franklin  was  ready  to  aid  as  well 
as  counsel.  He  wrote  to  Martin  Van  Buren. 
"  Charles  has  written  me  about  his  naval  project. 
I  have  repeatedly  informed  him  that  he  must  be 
guided  by  the  opinion  and  wishes  of  his  father, 
and  provided  he  obtained  his  consent  for  the 
application  I  had  no  objections  on  my  own  account. 
Whether  my  father  approves  of  it  or  not  I  do  not 
exactly  know,  as  I  have  not  heard  from  him  spe- 
cially on  the  subject.  If  he  does,  I  need  not  say 
that  I  will  feel  myself  peculiarly  grateful  for  any 
assistance  you  may  render  him." 

It  was  a  momentous  decision  for  Charles  Butler 
when  in  June  he  finally  gave  up  the  enticing 
prospect  of  a  naval  life,  withdrew  his  application 
to  the  Navy  Department,  and  after  a  little  visit  at 
Kinderhook  Landing  returned  to  Albany  and  took 
up  anew,  in  earnest,  preparation  for  his  work  as  a 
lawyer.  His  months  of  probation  being  over  he 
was  regularly  installed  as  clerk  in  Mr.  Van 
Buren's  office  at  a  salary  of  a  hundred  dollars  a 

*9 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


year  in  addition  to  his  board.  This  position  was 
no  sinecure.  The  first  morning,  being  minded  to 
dispatch  work,  he  rose  at  half-past  four,  and  at 
five  in  came  Mr.  Van  Buren  himself  ready  for  the 
business  of  the  day,  which  was  to  turn  over  the 
"  Insignia  "  of  the  Attorney-General's  office  to  his 
successor,  Thomas  J.  Oakley,  afterwards  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Superior  Court  of  the  City  of  New 
York.  He  was  entirely  alone  in  the  office  work, 
which  he  thought  a  good  thing,  for  he  had  busi- 
ness enough,  he  says,  to  keep  him  employed  all 
the  time.  He  had  need  to  be  busy,  one  thinks, 
to  keep  up  with  Martin  Van  Buren. 

"  I  rise  early,"  he  wrote,  "  and,  what  is  more 
provoking,  Mr.  Van  Buren  some  mornings  back 
has  risen  at  half-past  four.  I  rise  at  five  and  find 
him  up.  This  morning  he  rode  five  or  seven  miles 
before  seven  o'clock.  I  can't  imagine  what  pos- 
sesses him." 

The  boy,  however,  took  up  the  work  with 
unflagging  energy,  and  had  his  physical  strength 
been  equal  to  the  demand  upon  it  might  have  con- 
tinued in  the  Albany  office  through  his  entire 
period  of  study.  But  he  soon  found  the  strain 
of  the  work  so  severe  that  he  contemplated  giving 


30 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


up  his  legal  studies  altogether,  and  in  January, 
1820,  he  went  to  Sandy  Hill  for  a  few  months  of 
comparative  quiet. 

During  his  residence  in  Albany  the  young  man 
had  gained  a  valuable  experience  through  his  con- 
nection as  assistant  and  friend  in  helping  along 
the  movement  of  the  machinery  of  his  brother's 
banking  business  at  Sandy  Hill.  It  is  difficult  for 
anyone  now  to  realize,  or  even  credit,  the  incom- 
plete condition  of  large  financial  enterprises  four 
score  years  ago.  In  1818  the  United  States  had 
no  banking  system  worthy  of  the  name.  Under 
State  laws,  differing  widely  in  different  parts  of  the 
country,  banks  could  be  organized,  and  could  gain 
a  certainr  credit  as  State  institutions,  when,  in  fact, 
the  State  in  no  way  guaranteed  them.  These 
banks  were  a  necessity  to  the  small  communities. 
Means  of  transportation  were  very  inadequate  ; 
places  of  deposit  were  needed;  facilities  for  ex- 
change must  be  afforded.  The  profits  of  rural 
banking  were  likely  to  be  small  ;  and  the  State, 
without  as  afterwards  proved  exacting  sufficient 
guarantees,  permitted  these  banks  to  issue  notes, 
— bank  bills  we  now  name  them — to  very  large 
amounts.     From    this   permission    came    endless 

31 


THE     LIFE     AND      LETTERS 


trouble.  Honest  and  well-meaning  as  in  most 
cases  were  the  capitalists  who  established  banks, 
they  found  themselves  confronted  with  what  proved 
to  be  insuperable  difficulties  from  the  mere  vast- 
ness  of  the  regions  to  be  served,  and  the  inade- 
quacy of  the  machinery  for  serving.  The  notes 
issued,  when  first  paid  out,  were  taken  largely  by 
people  of  the  vicinity  ;  but  the  bank  to  support 
itself  was  obliged  to  send  its  money  for  invest- 
ment to  some  city  at  a  distance,  for  no  machinery 
of  mortgage  loans  such  as  that  which  Charles 
Butler  afterwards  established  in  western  New 
York,  and  which  has  now  become  the  recognized 
method  for  local  investments,  was  as  yet  in  oper- 
ation. 

Hence  plentiful  trouble  when  the  slightest 
suspicion  fell  upon  the  bank,  it  mattered  little 
whether  from  idle  rumor  or  from  credible  infor- 
mation. Brokers  went  about  the  neighboring 
country,  bought  up  the  notes  at  such  depreciated 
value  as  the  frightened  farmers  would  accept,  and 
plumped  the  whole  upon  the  bank  with  a  demand 
for  instant  redemption.  And  then  there  was 
hurrying  to  and  fro.  The  lumbering  stage  coach 
bringing  specie   from   the  far-off  city  of  deposit 

3* 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 

was  too  slow  and  uncertain.  Messengers  with 
swift  horses  would  start  by  night  all  secretly  to 
hurry  forward  funds.  Sometimes  the  kegs  of 
specie,  usually  consigned  to  some  individual  not 
connected  with  the  bank,  would  arrive  in  season ; 
sometimes  the  bank  exhausted  its  local  funds,  was 
obliged,  though  perfectly  solvent,  to  refuse  or  defer 
the  payment  of  its  own  notes,  and  a  run,  a  sus- 
pension, a  depreciation  in  the  value  of  the  notes 
ensued,  and  perhaps  the  total  failure  of  the  bank 
became  the  prospect  of  the  immediate  future. 
The  needs  of  this  rapidly  developing  country  had 
outgrown  its  financial  machinery,  and  the  railroad 
and  the  telegraph  came  none  too  soon  to  pre- 
serve the  credit  of  its  banking  systems.  The 
Washington  and  Warren  bank  at  Sandy  Hill  had 
been  established  by  a  banker  of  New  York  City 
to  meet  the  needs  of  that  section. 

Benjamin  Franklin  Butler,  then  twenty-three, 
with  a  reputation  as  an  honest  man  and  an  able 
though  not  then  very  experienced  lawyer,  under- 
took in  1818  to  continue  its  management.  The 
two  years  which  he  spent  in  Sandy  Hill  were 
harassing  ones  for  him,  but  they  afforded  a  fine 
training  in  financial  methods  and   business  habits 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

for  the  younger  brother  who  was  called  upon  to 
act,  though  unofficially,  as  agent  for  the  bank  In 
Albany,  where  there  was  need  of  some  one  to 
expedite  the  slow  movements  of  transportation. 

A  run  began  in  the  spring  of  1819,  and  thence- 
forth the  letters  are  full  of  the  record  of  his  services. 
As  the  notes  were  presented  specie  was  sent  up 
to  the  bank.  It  was  sent  in  kegs,  and  it  is  inter- 
esting to  note  the  confidence  in  the  honesty  of 
everybody  concerned  which  prevailed  in  those  days. 
Kegs  of  specie  were  sent  about  like  tubs  of 
butter. 

"  Fitz-Greene  Halleck,  Esq.,"*  wrote  Benjamin 
Franklin  to  Charles,  "  requests  me  to  inform  you 
that  there  goes  by  the  boat  to-day  a  box  of  specie 
for  the  Washington  and  Warren  Bank.  Will  you 
be  good  enough  to  send  it  by  the  stage  or  by 
the  first  private  conveyance  before  the  stage  goes. 
You  need  not  put  it  in  the  bank  for  safe  keeping, 
but  leave  it  in  charge  of  the  barkeeper  of  the  Eagle 
Tavern,  where  I  think  it  will  be  perfectly  safe. 
Have  it  entered  on  the  way  bill  and  it  then  will 
certainly  go,  and  let  them  the  evening  before  the 


*The  poet,  then   employed   in   a  banking  house  in  New  York 
City. 

34 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

stage  starts  put  it  in  the  stage  office  or  manage  it 
any  other  way  you    think    proper." 

This  box,  which  arrived  safely  a  few  days  after, 
contained  five  thousand  pistarres  (a  thousand  dol- 
lars), which  speaks  well  for  the  honesty  of  the  bar- 
keeperof  the  Eagle  Tavern.  Charles  wentasamatter 
of  course  to  the  boat  to  see  if  any  money  might  by 
chance  be  there.  In  September  the  bank  author- 
ities in  New  York  sent  up  a  cask  of  specie  in  the 
care  of  a  chance  passenger  whose  name  they  did 
not  ask,  but  who  duly  delivered  up  his  charge 
when  the  steamer  Chancellor  reached  her  dock. 
Once  this  method  of  procedure  involved  parties  in 
serious  difficulty,  for  a  box  having  been  given  to 
the  care  of  one  Captain  Roorback,  without  in- 
structions as  to  its  consignee,  the  conscientious 
captain  and  the  waiting  bankers  had  each  infinite 
difficulty  before  the  matter  was  settled.  Arrived 
in  Albany  the  kegs  were  sent  to  Sandy  Hill  in 
charge  of  any  one  who  happened  to  be  going,  and 
they  always  arrived  in  safety.  There  was  a  limit, 
it  appears,  to  this  trustfulness,  for  Benjamin 
Franklin  Butler  did  hesitate  on  one  occasion  to 
send  down  three  thousand  dollars  in  charge  of  a 
stranger  who  proposed  to  go  on  foot  to  the  river 

35 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


and  thence  to  Albany  on  a  raft.  But  this  limit 
was  rarely  reached.  The  honesty  of  the  people 
is  as  evident  as  the  difficulty  of  the  conditions. 

Benjamin  Franklin  had  entered  upon  banking 
hopefully  enough,  and  when  told  that  some  criti- 
cism had  been  made  upon  his  undertaking  only 
said  : 

"  So  be  it. 

*  They  cannot  rob  me  of  free  nature's  grace ; 
They  cannot  shut  the  windows  of  the  sky 
Through  which  Aurora  shows  her  brightening  face ; 
They  cannot  bar  my  constant  feet  to  trace 
The  wood  and  lawns,  by  living  stream,  at  eve, 
Of  fancy,  reason,  virtue,  nought  can  me  bereave.'  " 

But  doubts  about  the  soundness  of  the  system 
gradually  came  to  the  brothers.  Singularly 
enough,  it  was  the  high-spirited  boy  Charles  who 
first  expressed  them.  The  subterfuges  and  shifts 
which  the  difficulties  of  the  situation  necessitated 
were  repugnant  to  his  nature,  and  youth  though 
he  was,  he  was  unwilling  to  engage  in  the  country 
banking  business  as  it  was  then  conducted. 
Before  he  went  to  Sandy  Hill  to  study  in  his 
brother's  office,  he  declined  an  offer  from  the 
bank.     "  I  have  already  had,"  he  said  in  Novem- 

36 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


ber,  "  enough  of  banks  and  banking  to  keep  at  a 
distance  from  them,  nor  will  I  have  anything 
more  to  do  with  them  unless  from  absolute  neces- 
sity. And  as  to  entering  as  a  clerk  in  the  W. 
and  W.  bank,  I  would  not  do  it  for  $300  a  year." 
His  brother,  though  at  first  inclined  to  rebuke 
him  for  his  presumption,  came  himself  only  six 
months  later  to  very  much  the  same  conclusion. 
The  Washington  and  Warren  Bank  did  not  fail, 
but  the  brothers  gave  up  banking  and  devoted 
themselves  to  the  study  and  practice  of  law. 

As  the  winter  months  came  on  Charles  Butler 
regained  his  strength,  and  in  the  spring  of  1821 
he  undertook  a  new  period  of  law  studies,  this 
time  at  Kinderhook.  "  It  was,"  says  the  old  record, 
"  a  beautiful  village  ;  wide  streets ;  three  elegant 
brick  houses  with  shady  courts  and  yards  before 
them  ;  a  number  of  stores,  a  show  of  business  ; 
churches,  taverns;  inhabited  by  wealthy  farmers  or 
professional  men,  principally  Dutch  of  the  more 
enlightened  order.  The  men  generally  tall,  per- 
sonable and  fair."  Here  he  studied  in  the  office  and 
under  the  care  of  James  Vanderpoel,  a  distin- 
guished lawyer,  for  many  years  Judge  of  the  Third 
Judicial  District  of  New  York  State. 


37 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


"  I  am  greatly  pleased,"  wrote  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin, "with  your   letter   announcing   a  new  era   in 
your  life  as  a  student — new,  because  you  have  so 
long  been  prevented  from  prosecuting  your  stud- 
ies by  ill  health,  and,  more  especially,  because  you 
have  adopted  some  new  resolutions  in  regard  to 
the  line  of  conduct  you  intend  pursuing.     As  to 
the  caution  you  should  use  in  the  choice  of  your 
companions   and  your  public    deportment,   it   is 
unnecessary    for    me    to    say    anything.       Your 
course  of  study  is  a  matter  of  more  interest  and 
importance.     I  approve   of  your  reading   law  at 
this  stage  of  your  studies  and  perhaps  it  will  be 
as  useful  to  read  books  of  practice  as  any  other. 
Read  Tidd,  and  Sellon  if  you  can  get  the  latter, 
and   Johnson's  Digest — Title   Practice.     This  is 
all  the  practice  you  need  to  read  at  present.    Then 
take  up  Blackstone  again,  which  you  will  be  able 
to  read  with  more  benefit  than  ever  before.  After 
Blackstone,  Chitty   on    Pleading,  which    must  be 
read  with  great  care  and  very  slowly.     This  is  as 
much  as  you  can  accomplish  by  spring.      In  the 
meantime  let  your  miscellaneous  reading  be  con- 
fined  as   much   as   can  be   to   History  and   Bio- 
graphy, and  you  will  not  have  much  time  to  de- 

38 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

vote  even  to  them  and  none  to  newspapers.  I 
also  beg  you  very  particularly  to  keep  up  as  much 
acquaintance  as  possible  with  the  Latin.  Read  a 
little  in  the  morning  steadily,  and  from  my  own 
experience  I  can  say  you  will  be  able  to  accomplish 
considerable  in  a  year.  I  hope  you  will  endeavor 
to  improve  by  the  various  religious  privileges  you 
enjoy." 

For  the  advantage  of  association  during  the  next 
two  years  with  Judge  Vanderpoel  and  for  its  for- 
mative influence  upon  his  character  Charles  Butler 
always  felt  deeply  grateful.  Judge  Vanderpoel  was 
not  only  an  able  lawyer  but  a  citizen  of  worth  and 
distinction.  He  made  a  good  lawyer  out  of  the 
youth,  so  good  that  only  two  years  later  the  Judge 
confided  an  important  case  to  his  care  with  the 
note,  "  I  commit  the  whole  subject  to  your  manage- 
ment, confident  that  in  that  I  have  a  sure  pledge 
that  the  case  will  be  won  if  mortal  can  effect  it." 

The  ofiice  at  Kinderhook  had  a  large  country 
practice.  It  soon  became  Judge  Vanderpoel's  habit 
to  turn  over  to  the  young  student  the  trial  of 
most  of  the  cases — which  were  usually  argued 
before  a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  The  customary 
fee  for  trying  a  case  was  two  dollars,  and  the  liti- 

39 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


gants  saw  to  it  that  the  counsel  earned  his  money, 
for  the  stolid  Dutch  witnesses  would  not  be  hur- 
ried, and  the  progress  of  Justice  was  moderate 
enough  to  discipline  the  most  eager  young  attor- 
ney into  patience.  A  school  of  tact  also  was  this 
country  practice,  and  here  it  was  that  Charles 
Butler  first  studied  the  art — of  which  in  later 
years  he  became  so  consummate  a  master — of 
moulding  the  minds  of  many  men  into  harmon- 
ious action.  Even  in  these  early  days  he  settled 
more  cases  than  he  fought.  He  would  tell  of 
amusing  interviews  with  the  Dutch  goodwives 
who  came  to  sign  conveyances  of  lands  and  titles. 
The  paper  would  be  drawn,  and  then  a  time- 
honored  little  comedy  would  begin.  The  wife 
refused  to  sign ;  the  husband  urged,  but  all  in 
vain,  until  finally  the  expected  present — usually  a 
black  silk  dress — suggested  to  the  husband  by  the 
tactful  lawyer  at  exactly  the  right  moment,  grati- 
fied the  hesitating  wife  and  happily  ended  the 
incident. 

Kinderhook  was  then  far  more  a  centre  of  influ- 
ence than  a  country  town  of  the  same  importance 
would  be  at  the  present  day.  It  had  been  for  many 
years  the  home  of  Peter  Van  Schaick,  the  eminent 

40 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 


jurist  and  author,  well  known  not  only  as  an  able 
lawyer   but   also  as  one  of  the  best  read  classical 
scholars  of  his  day.      Mr.  Van    Schaick   kept  a 
private   law  school   of  much   reputation   in  those 
days,  and  at  the  time  of  Charles  Butler's  residence 
had  among  his  students  William  Kent,  son  of  the 
distinguished  chancellor,  the  author  of  the  "  Com- 
mentaries "  and  other  noted  legal  works.     Chan- 
cellor Kent  was  the  life-long  friend  of  Peter  Van 
Schaick ;  other  noted  men  were  frequent  visitors  ; 
and  the   concerns   of  public  life  were  an  habitual 
matter  of  discussion   by  the   legal   society  of  the 
town.      Under  the  care  of  Judge  Vanderpoel  the 
youth  gained  more  than  a  knowledge  of  the  prin- 
ciples or  experience  in   the   practice    of  law ;    he 
developed  a  habit   of  citizenship.      He  began  to 
take   an   interest   in   the  politics  of  the  State  and 
before  he  was  of  age  became  an  active  member  of 
the  "  Buck-tail  "  or  Anti-Clinton    section  of  the 
Democratic-Republican  party. 

The  quiet  life  at  Kinderhook  was  sometimes 
varied  by  mild  diversions.  It  was  customary, 
for  example,  to  have  a  great  celebration  on  the 
Fourth  of  July.  In  1821,  a  memorable  one  was 
held  at  Kinderhook  Landing.     Judge  Butler  and 

41 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

Postmaster  Walter  Butler  were  active  in  arranging 
for  it.  Benjamin  Franklin  Butler  came  from 
Albany  to  deliver  the  oration,  and  of  course 
Charles  came  from  Kinderhook,  five  miles  away. 
The  oration  was  a  success,  but  a  greater  excite- 
ment was  to  follow.  Hardly  had  the  refresh- 
ments been  served  when  in  came  the  famous 
steamship  Richmond  on  her  way  to  Albany 
bringing  the  news  of  the  death  of  Napoleon 
Bonaparte,  which  had  occurred  May  23d,  nearly 
six  weeks  before.  Perhaps  we  can  now  hardly 
understand  the  feeling  in  those  days  toward 
Napoleon,  as  summing  up  in  himself  all  the 
forces  which  make  for  evil,  and  the  relief  brought 
by  the  news  of  his  death.  "  It  is,"  said  Charles 
Butler  to  his  mother,  "  the  forerunner  of  the  Mil- 
lennium." 

At  the  end  of  1822  Charles  Butler  received  the 
appointment  of  Deputy  Clerk  of  the  New  York 
Senate,  and  on  the  5th  of  January,  1823,  took  up 
his  residence  at  Albany,  entering  the  law  office  of 
his  brother,  Benjamin  Franklin,  who  had  returned 
there,  had  been  appointed  District  Attorney  of 
Albany  County,  and  had  re-established  his  law 
partnership   with   Martin  Van   Buren.     There  is 

4» 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

a  touch  of  pensiveness  in  the  letters  of  the  young 
student  as  he  left  the  quiet  country  life  at  Kin- 
derhook  for  the  bustle  of  the  city.  "  But,"  he 
said,  "  the  purest  treasure  mortal  times  afford 
is  spotless  reputation  and  it  is  to  obtain  that  treas- 
ure that  I  shall  sacrifice  all  minor  considerations 
and  endeavor  to  act  well  my  part."  His  first 
letter  after  he  arrived  sounded  again  a  little  note 
of  regretful  sadness : 

"  We  had  a  pleasant  and  brilliant  party  at  Kin- 
derhook  on  the  evening  previous  to  my  final  de- 
parture. The  sound  of  the  violin  and  the  gaiety  of 
the  company  reminded  me  forcibly  of  the  even- 
ing of  the  fourth  of  July  spent  at  Walton.  The 
association  caused  the  regretful  wish  for  the 
company  of  some  of  those  friends  who  con- 
duced and  added  to  the  pleasure  of  that  evening. 

*  But  wherefore  of  pleasures  departed  complain 

That  leave  such  enjoyment  behind 
Though  the  sun  of  their  sweetness  be  sunk  in  the  main. 

Their  twilight  still  rests  on  the  mind.' 

Yes,  long  will  that  twilight  rest  on  the  mind — 
the  recollection  of  those  pleasures  departed  will 
long  be  cherished  with  the  fondest  care,  identified 

43 


THE     LIFE     AND      LETTERS 

as  they  are  with  the  recollection  of  a  person  who 
receives  the  kindest  and  most  enthusiastic  wishes 
of  my  heart.  I  shall  be  much  occupied  during 
the  winter  and  shall  rejoice  when  the  spring  comes, 
for  until  then  I  must  submit  to  be  confined  to  all 
the  minutiae  of  laws  and  legislation.  My  situa- 
tion in  the  Senate  requires  unremitted  attention 
during  the  day,  and  study  in  my  office  a  still  more 
severe  application  during  the  evening. 

These  promises  of  "  unremitted  attention " 
were  well  fulfilled,  yet  it  is  but  simple  justice  to 
a  young  man's  nature  to  record  here  that  Charles 
found  time  and  strength  to  get  a  hundred  sub- 
scribers at  five  dollars  each  for  a  ball  in  aid  of  the 
Greeks,  by  which  a  fund  of  two  hundred  and  sixty 
dollars  was  won  for  the  cause  of  liberty  in  that  far- 
oflFland.  "  The  Greek  ball,"  he  wrote,  "  was  one 
of  the  most  splendid  exhibitions  of  the  kind  ever 
witnessed  in  Albany.  There  were  superb  decora- 
tions— elegant  standards  of  various  hues,  a  Gre- 
cian cross  with  the  motto  in  Greek  iv  Tourijj  ucxa 
(with  this  conquer),  an  American  Eagle  supported 
by  the  Genius  of  Liberty,  a  Phoenix  emerging 
from  the  ashes,  emblematic  of  the  Grecian  cause 
— there    were    lights    from    three   massive    glass 

44 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

chandeliers  containing  sixty  spermaceti  candles, 
whose  reflection  on  the  cross  and  mottoes  and 
standards  quite  dazzled  the  sight.  There  were 
nine  musicians,  some  of  whom  made  music  like 
the  harp  of  Orpheus,  which  enchanted  the  ear 
and  delighted  the  heart.  The  tout  ensemble  of 
the  room  and  company  seemed  like  magic 
and  reminded  one  of  the  days  of  chivalry  and 
romance.  Thus  were  we  trying  to  aid  in  their 
speedy  restoration  to  the  franchises  of  freemen ; 
it  was  certainly  an  interesting  manner  of  render- 
ing them  assistance,  dancing  the  Greeks  into 
liberty."  It  is  interesting  to  learn  also  of  Cooper's 
new  novel,  "  The  Pilot,"  and  its  reception  ;  of 
forty-two  calls  on  New  Year's  Day,  where  at  each 
house  the  young  man  had  to  drink  a  bumper  to 
a  certain  young  lady  not  yet  mentioned  in  this 
history  ;  and  of  the  simple  customs  of  the  quaint 
old  town  whose  day  of  work  and  pleasure  was  ended 
with  the  watchman's  cry  "  Twelve — twelve  o'clock, 
and  all  is  well." 

Once  fairly  settled  In  Albany  the  young  man 
took  up  his  studies  with  vigor.  The  position  he 
held  was  one  of  importance,  for  the  reason  that  it 
threw  him  in  contact  with  the  prominent  men  of 

45 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

the  State  who  were  then  sent  to  the  Senate  from 
the  eight  Senatorial  districts.  He  acquired  so 
much  influence  that  in  1823,  when  he  was  not  yet 
twenty-one  years  old,  Judge  Vanderpoel  solicited 
his  support  in  obtaining  an  appointment.  As 
deputy  clerk  of  the  Senate  he  became  an  official 
also  of  the  Court  of  Errors.  This  Court,  under 
the  old  Constitution  of  the  State,  was  the  Court 
of  Last  Resort,  corresponding  to  the  present  Court 
of  Appeals.  As  then  constituted,  it  was  composed 
of  the  Chancellor  of  the  State,  of  the  three  Supreme 
Court  Judges,  and  of  the  thirty-two  State  Sena- 
tors. Cases  of  the  greatest  importance  were 
brought  to  it,  and  thus  the  most  distinguished 
lawyers  of  the  day  appeared  there. 

This  was  the  age  of  oratory,  and  famous  men 
spoke  daily.  From  his  brother,  a  model  advocate, 
Charles  learned  much  of  the  art  of  dignified  and 
persuasive  speech.  "  I  have  been  listening  to 
his  argument,"  he  wrote  in  January,  "  more  than 
an  hour.  It  is  one  of  the  most  splendid  displays  of 
forensic  and  legal  eloquence  I  have  ever  heard.  The 
gratification  which  I  feel  in  thus  seeing  him  at  the 
bar  of  this  court  listened  to  with  the  greatest 
attention  can  scarcely  be  expressed.      He  is  now 

46 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

on  the  high  road  to  that  eminence  to  which  his 
talents  must  ultimately  lead  him." 

Charles  learned  from  him  also  much  of  the  art  of 
life.  Benjamin  Franklin  was  morethan  an  advocate. 
He  could  rise  above  partisanship.  When  some 
years  later  the  long  struggle  against  De  Witt 
Clinton  had  been  suddenly  ended  by  his  death, 
it  was  he,  a  long-time  opponent,  who  came 
forward,  opposing  his  own  party,  to  aid  the  bill 
for  a  testimonial  to  the  memory  of  the  states- 
man. 

"  Among  the  most  eloquent  advocates  of 
the  bill,"  wrote  Bela  Edgerton,  "  were  Benjamin 
F.  Butler  and  Nathaniel  P.  Tallmadge,  both 
democrats,  political  opponents  of  De  Witt  Clinton, 
and  both  then  young  statesmen  of  brilliant  pro- 
mise. The  speech  of  Mr.  Butler  was  one  of  the 
most  eloquent  efforts  of  his  life  and  drew  tears 
from  the  eyes  of  strong  men  unused  to  weep. 
Breathing  the  language  of  devoted  affection  to  his 
own  dead  leader,  Governer  Tompkins,  Clinton's 
opponent,  he  appealed  to  his  friends  to  do  for 
the  helpless  children  of  the  dead  Clinton  what  his 
great  rival  would  himself  have  done  had  he  been 
living.     *  Pass  the  bill,'  said  Mr.  Butler,  *  for  you 

47 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


know  that  he  would  have  done  it.  If  you  cannot 
do  it  for  De  Witt  Clinton,  as  he  now  lies  in  his 
grave,  do  it  for  him  as  he  was  from  1798  to  18 12 
— the  pride  of  your  party  and  the  hope  of  your 
State.  Do  it  for  James  Clinton,  who  fought  for 
you  at  Quebec  and  at  Fort  Washington.  Do  it 
for  George  Clinton — my  appeal  is  to  party  men 
— do  it  for  George  Clinton,  the  founder  of  your 
party,  the  father  of  your  State.'  " 

It  was  a  valuable  experience,  which  could  not 
fail  to  stimulate  and  educate  the  young  law  student, 
to  listen  daily  to  speeches  such  as  this  and  to  hear 
the  arguments  of  such  men  as  John  Wells,  David 
B.  Ogden,  Abram  Van  Vechten,  Ogden  Hoffman, 
Martin  Van  Buren,  Samuel  G.  Talcott,  Elisha 
Williams,  John  Duer,  John  D.  Henry  and 
Thomas  Addis  Emmet.  Once  he  heard  Aaron 
Burr.  "  He  was,"  said  Mr.  Butler,  "  a  striking 
figure  whom  every  one  would  turn  to  look  at  as 
he  passed  in  the  street — of  small,  slight  build, 
dressed  in  small  clothes  and  black  silk  stockings, 
with  knee  buckles,  and  walking  steadily  forward, 
never  seeing  anyone  apparently,  but  with  eyes, 
which  were  wonderfully  penetrating,  turned  on 
the  ground  in  apparent  self-absorption.      He  was 

48 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

already  an    old   man,  with   white   hair  and   weak 
through  very  persuasive  voice." 

Charles  Butler  held  the  office  for  two  sessions 
and  until  his  admission  to  the  bar  as  attorney  at 
law.  During  the  final  years  of  his  studies  two 
events  occurred  which  profoundly  stirred  his 
imagination  and  probably  established  a  current  of 
thought  which  gave  direction  to  the  purposes  of 
his  whole  life.  The  first  of  these  was  the  placing 
upon  the  Hudson  of  what  was  for  those  days  a 
superb  steamboat,  called  the  James  Kenty  in  honor 
of  the    Chancellor    of  the   State. 

"  On  Monday  evening,"  wrote  Mr.  Butler, 
"  the  new  steamboat,  James  Kent,  arrived  at  the 
wharf,  having  left  New  York  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  On  Tuesday  at  twelve  o'clock  the  ladies 
and  gentlemen  of  Albany,  at  the  request  of  the 
proprietors  in  this  city,  visited  her.  Upon  no 
former  occasion  have  I  seen  such  an  assemblage  of 
beauty  and  fashion.  The  intention  was  to  have 
sailed  to  Hudson,  but  the  machinery  being  out  of 
order  we  did  not  leave  the  dock.  The  scene  was 
truly  novel  and  pleasing — the  boat  lying  at  the 
wharf,  its  decks  literally  thronged  with  a  gay  com- 
pany of  citizens.     The  music  with  which  they  were 

49 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


regaled  (the  band  attached  to  West  Point  being 
on  board),  the  good  humor  of  the  company,  and 
the  cheering  of  the  multitude  standing  on  the 
dock,  who  were  precluded  from  boarding,  and, 
above  all,  the  clear  and  beautiful  day,  combined 
to  give  an  effect  the  most  magical  of  anything 
that  I  have  ever  witnessed.  All  were  evidently 
delighted  with  the  splendor  of  the  party  which 
had  been  so  suddenly  congregated. 

The  boat  is  a  magnificent  specimen  of  naval 
architecture  and  is  fitted  up  in  a  style  to  rival  the 
splendor  of  the  palace  of  any  nabob  in  the  country. 
At  one  we  sat  down  to  an  excellent  repast,  and  hav- 
ing done  honor  to  the  feast,  and  poured  out  one  or 
two  libations  to  the  James  Kent ;  at  about  two  the 
company  dispersed  each  to  his  home,  gratified 
with  the  events  of  the  day.  The  march  of  im- 
provement in  the  arts  and  sciences  in  our  country 
has  been  astonishingly  rapid.  Who  that  witnesses 
the  inventions  of  modern  times  but  recurs  with 
mixed  feelings  of  pride  and  exultation  to  the  time 
when  America — independent,  rich,  happy  Amer- 
ica— was  the  habitation  of  the  savage.  The  in- 
vention of  steam  power  may  be  esteemed  as  one 
of  the  noblest  and  most  useful  inventions   of  the 


50 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

age,  for  by  it  the  elements  are  conquered — time 
and  space  are  shortened.  Fulton's  name  will 
descend  to  posterity  encircled  with  a  fame  and 
glory  *  more  lasting  than  brass.'  " 

The  second  event  was  the  opening  of  the  Erie 
canal,  in  the  autumn  of  1823;  referred  to  in  a  let- 
ter from  Albany,  dated  September  29  : 

"  The  principal  subject  of  conversation  in  Al- 
bany at  present  is  the  approaching  celebration  of 
the  transit  of  the  first  boat  from  the  Lakes  into 
the  waters  of  the  Hudson.  Great  preparations 
are  making  to  celebrate  the  event  with  that  mag- 
nificence and  splendor  compatible  with  the  dig- 
nity and  prodigality  of  the  great  and  patriotic 
State  of  New  York.  It  will  indeed  be  a  jubilee 
— the  union  of  the  Lakes  and  the  Ocean.  A 
century  ago  a  man  who  ventured  to  predict  the 
mingling  of  the  waters  of  Erie  and  the  Hudson 
would  have  been  derided  as  a  lunatic.  Yet  the 
union  is  accomplished.  Rome  and  Greece  in 
their  proudest  days  could  not  boast  the  consum- 
mation of  a  work  to  equal  the  grand  canal.  The 
water  has  already  been  let  into  this  city,  but  no 
boat  will  come  down  until  the  day  appointed  for 
the   celebration,  which    is    next   Wednesday,  the 

51 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

eighth  of  October.  This  will  be  no  ordinary 
event.  This  eighth  of  October,  1 823,  ought  ever 
hereafter  to  be  a  jubilee  with  the  citizens  of  this 
Republic.  The  occurrences  of  that  day  ought 
to  be  described  in  tablets  of  brass  and  handed 
down  to  succeeding  generations  as  mementoes  of 
national  greatness — of  the  astonishing  and  unparal- 
leled industry,  enterprise  and  genius  of  the  present 
generation." 

It  is,  of  course,  the  enthusiasm  of  a  young 
man  that  speaks.  To  the  youth  just  twenty- 
one,  this  great  waterway,  which  on  its  completion 
almost  doubled  the  accessible  regions  of  the  north- 
ern states,  was  a  symbol  and  a  prophecy  of  the 
coming  dominance  of  the  Empire  State.  Thus, 
in  one  summer  the  quiet  boy  whom  we  have 
seen  contentedly  studying  on  the  banks  of  the 
creek  at  Kinderhook  became  the  man  of  action. 
Henceforward  his  mind  was  upon  the  opportuni- 
ties for  work  which  life  afforded — to  a  remark- 
able degree  even  in  these  earlier  years  work  for 
others — and  upon  plans  for  his  own  part  in  the 
work.  He  finished  his  course  of  study  at  Albany; 
on  February  26,  1824,  he  took  his  examination, 
and  in  April  was  admitted  to  practice. 

52 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

In  this  record  of  early  life  the  narrative  has 
seemed  to  lay  much  stress  upon  the  influence  of 
men  of  ability  and  force ;  but  it  would  be  incom- 
plete without  the  notice  of  an  influence  more 
continuous  than  any  of  the  others.  Charles  But- 
ler's mother  was  a  very  handsome  woman,  with 
dark  eyes  which  had  in  them  a  never-fading 
charm.  She  was  of  New  England  stock,  with  the 
strict  integrity,  the  frugal  care-taking  unselfish 
habit,  the  quiet  self-controlled  nature — never  fully 
revealing  its  depth  of  tenderness — of  the  wife  and 
mother  of  the  early  New  England  days.  The 
son's  love  and  veneration  for  her,  as  the  records 
show,  were  very  beautiful  and  touching,  in  the 
boy  of  twenty,  in  the  man  of  fifty,  in  the  still  en- 
thusiastic and  youthful-hearted  man  of  ninety-six. 

In  a  letter  written  long  after  this  period  is  a 
touching  picture  of  one  of  their  latest  interviews. 
He  was  then  just  fifty,  she  just  eighty  years  of 
age.  He  read  to  her  the  twelfth  chapter  of  Isaiah, 
talked  with  her  of  her  heavenly  home,  so  near, 
and  kissed  her  hand  as  she  gave  to  him  her  part- 
ing blessing.  This  blessing  had  been  with  him 
all  his  earlier  days,  and  was  to  help  him  all  his 
coming  years. 

53 


CHAPTER   II 

PLANS     FOR     PROFESSIONAL     LIFE OPENING 

MONTHS    AT    LYONS REMOVAL    TO  GEN- 
EVA  INTEREST    IN    PROJECTS    FOR 

BENEFITING    THE    CITY WEST- 
ERN TRIP MARRIAGE 


<c 


I 


T  is  the  five  years  after  college  which  are 
the  most  decisive  in  a  man's  career. 
Any  event  which  happens  then  has  its 
full  influence.  The  years  which  come  before  are 
too  fluid.  The  years  which  come  after  are  too 
solid."  These  words  were  spoken  by  Phillips 
Brooks  in  his  maturity ;  his  biographer  rightly 
claims  that  he  could  not  have  thus  spoken,  if  he 
had  not  been  aware  of  the  importance  of  the  open- 
ing years  in  the  history  of  his  own  life.  So  the 
decisions  made  by  Charles  Butler  in  the  years 
immediately  succeeding  the  closing  of  his  studies 
determined  his  future  course.  The  spring  of 
1824  brought  him  to  the  first  of  these  decisions; 

54 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

he  must  choose  the  location  for  the  opening  of  his 
work.  He  could  enter,  as  clerk  or  junior  partner, 
the  law  office  of  his  brother  at  Albany  ;  or  he  could 
go  into  some  distant  section,  sacrificing  thereby 
much  of  the  influence  which  might  at  first  aid  him, 
but  opening  for  himself  a  more  independent  career. 
Benjamin  Franklin  Butler,  though  only  twent/- 
eight,  was  at  that  time  securely  established  in  his 
profession.  Yet  it  was  patronage  rather  than 
opportunity  which  the  connection  with  him  seemed 
to  offer,  for  the  business  of  his  office,  being  mostly 
counsel  practice  in  the  Courts  of  Error  and  Chan- 
cery, could  not  easily  be  given  to  the  young 
lawyer. 

Charles  wrote,  in  a  letter  (to  his  future  wife), 
dated  Albany,  December  17,  1823  : 

"  I  come  now  briefly  to  speak  of  my  future 
destination.  The  period  when  I  shall  be  re- 
leased from  the  thraldom  of  the  Senate  Clerkship 
is  so  near  at  hand  that  it  is  not  premature  to  begin 
to  think  at  least  of  a  place  of  residence.  If  the  veil 
which  hides  futurity  from  our  vision  could  be  re- 
moved and  the  inscrutable  and  mysterious  govern- 
ment of  the  world  be  for  a  moment  comprehended 
by  finite  beings,  what  do-ubts,  unc-ertainties,  cares 

55 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


and  perplexities  should  we  poor  mortals  be  relieved 
from.  At  this  moment  when  weighing  in  the 
balance  the  advantages  and  disadvantages,  the 
inducements  and  objections  in  favor  of  or  against 
the  several  places  which  have  been  recommended 
by  my  friends,  I  could  wish  for  the  gift  of  second 
sight,  I  have  no  fears  as  to  obtaining  an  honest, 
wholesome  subsistence.  I  believe  I  shall  always 
be  able  to  provide  for  the  necessities  of  life,  and 
that  so  far  as  respects  comforts  and  gentility  I 
shall  never  be  found  wanting.  It  is  said  that  to 
be  '  poor  and  content  is  rich  and  rich  enough,' 
but  this  doctrine  I  could  not  subscribe  to.  That 
man  is  rich  who  has  health,  who  has  a  partner  of 
his  life  in  whom  he  can  confide,  and  who  is  pos- 
sessed of  enough  to  satisfy  the  comforts  and 
inclinations,  without  the  extravagances  of  life. 
The  comforts,  I  trust — and  my  trust  is  based  on 
reasonable  expectations — always  to  be  enabled  to 
indulge  in  ;  the  luxuries  and  extravagances  impair 
the  constitution  and  for  that  reason  ought  not  to 
be  coveted.  Fortune  has  not  showered  down  her 
smiles  upon  the  roof  of  my  ancestors,  and  I  do 
not  therefore  inherit  any  of  the  goods  or  chattels 
or  lands  which    belong   to   others  more  favored. 

56 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


But  I  have  health,  a  portion  of  industry,  and  a 
profession  at  once  honorable  and  lucrative,  which 
is  all  I  ask.  I  would  not  sacrifice  the  content  and 
independence  of  my  station  in  society  for  all  the 
ill-gotten  wealth  of  the  miser ;  nor  would  I  ex- 
change my  comparatively  poor  and  humble  lot 
for  the  luxuries  of  wealth,  if  in  the  exchange  I 
should  have  to  submit  to  be  deprived  of  a  single 
privilege  which  I  now  enjoy,  I  do  not  covet  the 
riches  of  the  world — although  it  is  a  comfortable 
thing  to  be  rich  ;  I  ask  for  nothing  more  than  I 
now  have,  wherewithal  to  obtain  a  livelihood  ;  and 
I  would  prefer  the  domestic  and  happy  life  of  the 
country  gentleman  to  all  the  pomp  and  splendor 
of  the  city  nabob.  I  have,  therefore,  determined 
upon  going  into  the  country  as  affording  a  more 
extensive  field  for  a  young  lawyer  who  has  not 
family  influence  to  support  him  in  the  city.  A 
location  in  the  country  is  preferable,  not  only 
because  of  the  cheapness  of  living,  but  also  by 
reason  of  the  political  as  well  as  professional 
advantages  which  may  be  attained  by  a  proper 
course  of  conduct.  My  friends  have  advised  me 
which  town  or  county  in  this  State  presents  the 
best  field  to  consider." 


57 


THE     LIFE     AND      LETTERS 


The  advice  of  these  friends  was  of  the  highest 
value.  Chief  among  them  were  Senators  Green, 
Tallmadge  and  Whiting,  who  had  been  greatly 
attracted  to  him  during  his  two  terms  of  service 
as  Deputy  Clerk  of  the  State  Senate  and  of  the 
Court  of  Errors.  His  first  choice  was  Delaware 
County,  partly  for  reasons  of  a  personal  nature, 
which  will  be  evident  later  in  this  narrative,  prin- 
cipally because  in  his  opinion  no  other  county 
afforded  so  many  inducements  to  persons  wishing 
to  interest  themselves  in  the  politics  of  the  State. 
But  he  gave  this  up.  "  My  bark,"  he  said,  "  is 
a  frail  one,  and  I  must  not  let  it  drift  beyond  the 
limits  of  my  profession."  He  next  considered 
Onondaga  County,  which  seemed  to  offer  great 
inducements.  Possibly  he  might  have  settled 
there  had  he  not  been  attracted  by  the  opportu- 
nities in  the  newer  portions  of  what  was  then  the 
"  far  West."  The  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal  had 
given  an  immense  impulse  to  the  development  of 
the  western  part  of  the  State  of  New  York.  Es- 
sentially a  pioneer,  he  listened  with  eagerness  to 
Senators  Green  and  Tallmadge  when  they  urged 
him  to  come  and  help  them  to  develop  the  infant 
county  of  Wayne,  and  to  Senator  Bowen  Whiting 

58 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

when  he  urged  him  to  take  part  at  Geneva  in  the 
development  of  Seneca  township,  in  the  county 
of  Ontario.  The  session  of  the  Senate  lasted  from 
the  first  of  January  to  the  twentieth  of  April,  and 
before  its  close  the  question  was  decided  in  favor 
of  the  West. 

The  best  opening  seemed  to  be  at  Geneva,  and 
it  was  a  flattering  prospect  for  a  youth  of  twenty- 
two.  Mr.  Bowen  Whiting,  afterwards  a  distin- 
guished judge,  at  this  time  District-Attorney  of 
his  county.  State  Senator,  and  a  man  of  influence 
in  both  county  and  State,  was  in  a  partnership 
which  was  to  expire  by  limitation  in  the  succeed- 
ing autumn.  He  proposed  that  Charles  Butler 
should  then  become  his  partner ;  and  a  provi- 
sional agreement  was  made  to  this  effect.  The 
eager  lawyer,  however,  had  no  mind  to  spend  a 
summer  in  idleness,  nor  indeed  to  rest  his  future 
on  a  single  hope.  The  Senators  from  Wayne 
County  still  urged  him  to  make  at  least  a  trial 
there.  Mr.  John  S.  Tallmadge,  especially,  begged 
him  to  "come  and  see  our  County,  the  Pride  of 
the  World,  and  Lyons,  its  most  beautiful  village." 
Accordingly  he  began  practice  there  while  await- 
ing the    permanent   situation  at   Geneva. 

59 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

Mr.  Butler's  first  letter  from  Lyons  was  dated 
May  I,  1824: 

"  I  have  finally  arrived  at  home,  much  pleased, 
I  can  assure  you,  to  get  to  a  resting-place,  after  rid- 
ing four  hundred  miles  over 

*■  Ruts  and  ridges, 

And  bridges 
Made  of  a  fev/  uneasy  planks, 
In  open  ranks,' 

as  some  poet  has  expressed  it.  The  country 
is  much  pleasanter  than  I  expected  to  find  it. 
Lyons  is  larger  and  the  inhabitants  more  friendly 
than  I  anticipated.  I  board  at  the  Mansion 
House,  in  the  most  central  part  of  the  village,  in 
Water  street  (they  even  have  streets  here),  and 
directly  on  the  bank  of  the  canal.  From  the 
table  at  which  I  am  now  writing  I  have  a  delight- 
ful view  of  the  canal  for  some  distance,  and  of  all 
the  craft  on  it.  It  is  an  excellent  substitute  for 
the  North  River.  Packets  and  boats  are  con- 
stantly passing,  the  former  loaded  with  passen- 
gers, the  latter  with  the  produce  of  the  Western 
world.  The  boatmen  have  bugles  and  horns,  and 
make  merry  music  as  they  pass  along.  There  are 
a  number  of  fine  country  residences  in  the  vicin- 

60 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

ity,  and  everything  looks  as  if  the  wealth  and  pop- 
ulation of  the  country  were  rapidly  increasing, 
and  as  if  Lyons  was  destined  to  be  almost  a  city. 
From  what  I  have  seen  I  feel  assured  that  I  have 
made  a  discreet  and  excellent  location.  I  find  it 
difficult  to  obtain  board  in  a  private  family — at 
present  I  board  with  Mr.  Griffith,  a  brother-in-law 
of  my  friend  Mr.  Green,  an  excellent  landlord, 
with  an  interesting  and  pleasant  family,  and  fur- 
nishing an  excellent  and  neat  table.  I  think  of 
renting  an  office  in  Broad  street,  just  around  the 
corner,  a  few  rods  west  of  my  boarding  house, 
painted  white  with  green  blinds,  having  two 
pleasant  rooms,  one  of  which  I  shall  convert  into 
a  bedroom.  When  I  sleep  in  the  office  I  shall 
pay  Mr.  Griffith  at  the  rate  of  twelve  shillings 
(1 1. 50)  per  week,  for  victuals.  I  could  not  get  the 
front  room  in  the  office  for  less  than  twenty-six 
dollars  a  year,  and  I  can  rent  them  both  for 
thirty.  Since  I  could  not  get  board  and  lodging 
together  for  less  than  two  dollars  a  week,  I  shall 
now  save  enough  in  the  year  to  furnish  the  bed- 
room in  the  office.  The  arrangement,  I  think, 
will  be  a  pleasant  one.  Those  citizens  whom  I 
have  conversed  with  are  pleased  at  my  coming, 

6x 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


and  say  that  I  shall  do  well.  The  inhabitants 
had  been  expecting  me  for  seven  or  eight  days, 
and  I  presume  are  much  relieved." 

The  next  letter   gave  an  account  of  the  first 
Sunday  in  Lyons : 

"  I   went  to    the   Presbyterian    Meeting-house 
this  morning.     It  is  a  building  erected  in  olden 
time — extremely   frail  and   venerable  in    appear- 
ance— probably  a  few  feet  larger  than  the  school- 
house  in  the  Square  in  Walton — plain  benches,run- 
ning  lengthwise,  and  parallel  with  each  other,  form 
the  seats.   The  pulpit,  made  of  plain  oaken  timber, 
is  elevated  about  i  Y^  feet  above  the  pews.      The 
ladies  sit  on  one  side  of  the  pulpit,  the  gentlemen 
on  the  other  (this,  you  know,  is  rigid  Presbyterian- 
ism).      I  could  not  stand  erect,  the  ceiling  was  so 
low,  but  had  to  bend   my   head   in   a   devotional 
position  when  the  Parson  prayed.    Parson  Pome- 
roy,  the  Shepherd  of  the  flock,  is  an  old  and  ven- 
erable-looking man.      His  head  is  whitened  with 
the  frost  of  years — his  delivery   broken,  but  im- 
pressive ;  and    when    animated    with   the  subject 
reminds  one  of  the  apostolic  age.    I  was  delighted 
with  his  preaching.    The  simplicity  of  his  appear- 
ance and  the  earnest  and  sincere  manner  of  his 


62 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


delivery  form  a  striking  contrast  to  the  city  clergy. 
Thinks  I  to  myself,  this  is  a  true  devotion.  Here 
the  poor  and  the  rich  are  literally  on  an  equal 
footing  (the  pews  are  not  elevated,  but  on  a  level) 
and  here  pure  and  genuine  religion  is  preached. 
There  was  something  in  the  worship,  the  con- 
struction of  the  building,  and  the  appearance  of 
the  preacher,  so  novel  that  to  me  the  service  was 
quite  entertaining.  However,  the  Lyonsites  have 
become  proud  and  are  making  preparations  to 
build  a  new  and  elegant  church  and  mean  to 
'  throw  Parson  Pomeroy  over  the  pulpit,'  as  a 
gentleman  informed  me  to-day.  The  old  church 
will  be  razed  to  the  foundation.  I  shall  regret  to 
see  it  done — and  '  what  for  no  ; '  are  not  the  old 
church  and  the  old  parson  good  enough  ? " 

In  1824,  the  village  of  Lyons  was  considered 
to  be  well  toward  the  setting  sun,  but  it  was  then, 
as  it  is  now,  a  pleasant  place,  and  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  youth  fairly  glowed  as  he  told  of  its  charms 
to  his  friends  at  home.  He  would  never  admit 
that  it  was  as  beautiful  as  Geneva  or  as  Canan- 
daigua — the  latter  he  declared  to  be  "  the  most 
charming  place  in  all  creation  " — but  he  main- 
tained that  Lyons  was  the  natural  rival  of  Geneva 

63 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

and  that  the  time  would  come  when  the  former 
place  would  not  only  successfully  compete  with  the 
latter  in  business  but^  also  in  wealth  and  beauty. 
Lyons  also,  as  he  proudly  claimed,  was  very 
accessible  from  Albany,  only  four  days  distant. 
One  could  leave  Utica  at  nine  in  the  evening  and 
be  in  Lyons  at  eight  the  second  morning  after, 
so  that  it  was  "  in  fact  only  one  day's  travel " 
from  Utica  to  Lyons.  The  journeying  of  those 
days  was  of  course  on  the  canal ;  by  the  "  Packet 
Boat,"  the  traveler  leaving  Albany  at  six  o'clock 
on  Monday  morning  would  be  due  to  arrive  in 
Lyons  on  the  succeeding  Thursday  ;  and  would, 
as  Mr.  Butler  said  without  the  least  suspicion  of 
humor,  "  see  a  great  deal  of  the  country  on  his 
way." 

In  this  opening  life  at  Lyons,  both  the  simplic- 
ity of  the  well-bred  youth  and  the  characteristic 
traits  of  the  man  of  large  foresight  quickly  made 
themselves  evident.  He  began  his  law  career  with 
little  capital  besides  his  natural  ability.  His  per- 
sonal expenditures  were  frugal  and  it  would  cer- 
tainly appear  that  the  opening  of  an  establishment 
at  a  total  cost  of  nine  dollars  a  month  for  the 
combined  expenses    of  office    and    home    was  a 

64 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

modest  venture.  But  the  young  lawyer  had 
plenty  of  courage  for  outlay  in  professional  mat- 
ters. Postage  in  those  days  was  a  most  impor- 
tant item  ;  on  a  single  sheet  to  Albany  it  was  a 
shilling  and  a  half,  and  on  a  double  sheet  twice 
that  sum.  "  But  you  must,"  he  wrote  to  a  legal 
correspondent,  "  forward  letters  to  me  with  all 
convenient  speed  and  promptness.  The  double 
postage  is  of  no  consequence  in  comparison  with 
the  object  in  view."  He  would  have  efficiency 
in  his  business  no  matter  what  it  cost  and  he 
would  be  equipped  for  it.  He  borrowed  five  hun- 
dred dollars  from  his  brother  at  Albany  to  buy  a 
law  library.  He  used  to  say  later  that  his  "only 
capital,  when  he  married,  was  his  library  and  his 
debt  therefor."  But  it  proved  to  be  the  best  law 
library  in  the  county  at  that  day,  and  made  his 
little  office  a  centre  for  the  consultations  of  the  bar. 
Mr.  Butler  was  wise  when  he  determined  to 
start  for  himself  rather  than  to  rely  upon  the 
influence  of  his  brother  or  of  that  group  of  states- 
men, which  he  calls  the  "Junto,"  and  which  is 
known  to  history  as  the  "  Albany  Regency." 
His  independent  legal  life  had  thereby  far  greater 
scope.     In  his  new  home   the   first  problem  was 

65 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


that    of  participation   in    political     affairs.       The 
advice  of  his  brother  was  against  it : 

"  I  would  advise  you  to  be  moderate  though 
decided  in  the  expression  of  your  political  senti- 
ments. Nothing  gives  more  weight  to  one's 
opinions  than  to  have  them  clothed  with  an  air 
of  modesty,  especially  the  opinions  of  a  young 
man  among  strangers.  You  will  be  obliged  to 
express  your  views  on  political  subjects  and  to 
take  some  part  in  them,  the  less  the  better.  Let 
eminence  in  your  profession  be  your  constant  aim  ; 
every  thing  else  of  a  temporal  character  should  be 
in  subordination  to  it.  The  folly  of  risking  one's 
hopes  on  the  ocean  of  politics  is  daily  more  and 
more  apparent.  Your  first  essays  will  of  course 
be  in  a  Justice's  Court.  In  regard  to  business  of 
that  kind  you  know  my  views.  It  is  useful, 
though  it  may  be  dangerous.  You  have  not  yet 
contracted  any  of  the  bad  habits  of  pettifogging 
and  I  am  not  afraid  that  you  will.  You  will  not 
fail  to  recollect  that  this  is  probably  the  most 
favorable  time  you  will  ever  have  for  pursuing  a 
course  of  regular  legal  studies.  You  have  more 
leisure  now  than  you  will  ever  have  again.  Let 
it    be  improved  to   the   best   advantage." 


66 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

The  advice  in  this  letter  had  important  re- 
sults. Mr.  Butler  was,  though  perhaps  hardly 
consciously,  during  these  summer  months  at 
Lyons,  facing  decisions  in  regard  to  his  work 
second  in  importance  to  no  others  since  the 
day  when  he  gave  up  the  alluring  vision  of  naval 
glory.  His  brother  offered  three  specific  coun- 
sels ;  to  study  intensely,  to  avoid  pettifogging, 
and  to  keep  out  of  politics.  For  the  first  of 
these  there  was  little  need  of  emphasis.  The 
bent  of  the  young  lawyer's  mind  was  studious, 
and  habits  of  industry  had  been  fixed  by  train- 
ing. At  the  end  of  the  summer  he  had  com- 
pleted a  task  of  reading  rather  surprising  in  its 
amount,  and  less  limited  in  range  than  one  could 
have  expected.  He  wrote  from  Lyons,  August 
30,  1824: 

"  I  have  just  finished  reading  Vattel  and  have 
commenced  Montesquieu,  but  think  I  shall  have 
to  lay  it  aside  for  some  future  day.  My  reading 
hitherto  has  been  rather  desultory,  not  having 
adopted  (because  I  had  not  the  means  of  pur- 
suing) a  regular  course  of  study.  Phillips's  two 
volumes  on  the  Laws  of  Evidence,  Cowen's 
Reports,   portions  of  Dunlap,  Archbold,  Comyn 

67 


IHE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

on  Contract,  Adams's  Ejectment,  and  Toller,  and 
Blackstone,  together  with  some  History,  Paley's 
Philosophy  and  Theology,  Dwight's  Theology, 
Milton's  works,  Hazlitt's  Lectures,  Chatham's 
Letters,  and  a  variety  of  miscellaneous  matter 
have  been  read  since  the  first  of  May.  I  have 
made  it  a  point  to  read  a  few  lines  in  Virgil  each 
morning.  All  of  Dwight's  Theology  has  not 
been  read,  but  a  considerable  portion  of  it. 
Having  also  had  occasion  to  investigate  a  num- 
ber of  legal  questions  arising  in  cases  which 
have  been  submitted  to  me,  I  think  the  season 
thus  far  has  been  one  of  real  legal,  if  not  of 
pecuniary  profit." 

The  second  subject  of  advice  concerned  "  Petti- 
fogging." As  many  young  lawyers  of  that  day 
understood  the  term,  this  was  a  perfectly  legitimate 
branch  of  what  may  be  called  the  legal  trade, 
requiring  small  labor  and  attractive  as  a  source  of 
income.  It  meant  simply  devoting  one's  atten- 
tion to  the  numerous  petty  cases  to  which  the  new- 
ness of  the  country  and  the  rapid  development  of 
conflicting  interests  gave  rise.  These  cases  were 
usually  tried  before  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  with 
witnesses  little  versed  in  the  subtleties  of  the  law. 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

A  knowledge  of  the  weaknesses  of  human  na- 
ture in  the  matter  of  giving  testimony,  and  per- 
haps even  in  the  matter  of  weighing  and  judging 
testimony  when  given,  often  made  for  success 
more  surely  than  sound  legal  knowledge  or  sincere 
zeal  for  the  principles  of  equity.  A  practice  of 
this  sort,  therefore,  led  to  immediate  gain,  but 
rarely  to  desirable  reputation.  Yet  it  was  a  tempta- 
tion to  many  a  young  lawyer,  especially  to  one 
who,  like  Charles  Butler,  had  resolutely  left  influ- 
ential friends  in  order  not  to  be  dependent,  and 
who  was  in  a  new  country  with  no  capital  but 
"  some  books  and  a  debt." 

Hardly  was  he  settled  when  a  client  appeared 
with  a  "  horse  case,"  which  was  likely,  if  success- 
fully conducted,  to  lay  the  foundation  for  a  lucra- 
tive pettifogging  business.  Mr.  Butler  went,  pro- 
bably with  some  elation,  to  conduct  the  case  ;  but 
after  he  had  won  it  he  decided  definitely  not  to  take 
any  more  of  the  kind.  "  I  made,"  he  wrote,  "  the 
first  essay  in  a  Justice's  Court  about  three  weeks 
since  in  Sodus,  about  eight  miles  north  of  Lyons, 
and  have  since  received  considerable  credit  for  it, 
Mr.  Grift,  a  member  of  the  Villages,  went  out  ex- 
pressly to  witness  the  first  appearance  of  the  young 

69 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


lawyer  from  Albany.'  It  was  a  suit  for  the  breach 
of  the  warranty  of  a  span  of  horses,  and  there  were 
twenty-eight  witnesses  examined.  Of  course  great 
interest  was  excited,  as  usual  upon  such  occasions. 
There  were  two  renowned  pettifoggers  opposed  to 


me. 


The  winning  of  his  first  case  was  a  triumph  for 
the  boy  of  twenty-two.  Yet  the  real  triumph  was 
the  decision  to  reserve  himself,  even  though  it 
might  be  at  the  cost  of  patient  waiting,  for  what  he 
termed  "  real  legal  rather  than  pecuniary  "  profit. 
The  reward  of  this  resolution  came  more  promptly 
than  he  could  have  anticipated.  At  the  session 
of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  which  was  held  in 
Lyons  in  September,  he  found  himself  entrusted 
with  the  care  of  two  important  cases,  and  on  that 
occasion  made  a  record  which  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  some  of  the  noted  men  of  the  day. 

The  third  item  of  advice  in  his  brother's  letter 
was  "to  keep  out  of  politics,"  and  it  involved  a 
grave  decision  affecting  the  entire  course  of  his 
professional  life.  Little  of  the  suspicion  which  in 
these  latter  days  is  apt  to  be  suggested  by  the 
term  "  politician  "  had  then  been  aroused.  A  pol- 
itical career  in  the  early  years  of  the  century  was 

70 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


an  attractive  one  for  a  lawyer,  and  was,  as  in  its 
best  estate  it  is  still,  a  legitimate  goal  for  ambition, 
leading  to  high  office  and  substantial  fame,  and 
offering  opportunities  for  usefulness.  Mr.  Butler 
was  attracted  toward  politics  by  natural  bent  as 
well  as  by  early  associations.  He  possessed  in  a 
high  degree  a  capacity  for  discerning  the  principle 
which  lay  behind  any  special  application  of  consti- 
tutional law  or  any  political  measure  about 
which  men  differed.  To  this  discernment  he 
added  exceptional  tact  in  bringing  men  to  an 
agreement  on  the  basis  of  the  principles  involved. 
This  remarkable  union  of  insight  and  tact — of 
power  to  see  the  principle  involved  and  suavity 
to  win  men  to  its  acceptance — was  the  equipment 
which  later  in  life  won  him  his  best  triumphs.  It 
is  also  the  basis  for  the  making  of  a  statesman, 
and  one  is  now  almost  tempted  to  regret  his  de- 
cision. In  making  it  he  must  surely  have  stifled 
many  natural  desires.  He  had  been  in  the  midst 
of  the  political  life  at  Albany.  His  own  brother 
Benjamin  Franklin  was  himself  giving  most  of  his 
strength  and  influence  to  the  service  of  the  State 
and  was  fairly  launched  on  that  distinguished  pub- 
lic career  which  carried  him  afterwards  to  Wash- 


7" 


THE     LIFE      AND     LETTERS 


ington   as   the    Attorney-General   of  the   United 
States.    Charles  Butler  was  urged  towards  politics 
on  all   sides.     The  friend   of  his   youth,   Edwin 
Croswell,   then    just   established   as  State  printer 
and   editor  of  the   Albany  Argus,  wrote  to  him, 
begging  the  "  tall  and  handsome  Charles  "  to  be 
the  best  man  at  his  wedding  in   September,  and 
with  equal  zeal  urging  the  "  rising  young  lawyer  " 
to  join  him  and  his  friends  in  making  the  Repub- 
lican party  a  power  for  usefulness  in  New  York 
State.   The  history  of  New  York  politics  has  few 
chapters  more  important  than  that  which   narrates 
the  influence  (largely  a  sound  and  useful  one)  ex- 
erted upon  its  affairs  by   Edwin  Croswell,  Mar- 
tin Van  Buren,  Benjamin   Franklin   Butler,  John 
A.     Dix,     Silas    Wright,    William     L.     Marcy, 
Azariah  C.  Flagg  and  the  others  who  formed  the 
Albany  Regency.      It  was  no  light  matter  to  re- 
nounce the  opportunity  for  association  with   such 
men  and  the  advantages  which  it  offered. 

Nevertheless  the  independent  young  lawyer 
decided  against  politics.  Success  and  not  failure 
in  this  direction  led  him  to  this  step  just  as 
success  and  not  failure  in  petdfogging  had  led 
him   to   confine   himself  to   the   higher    fields   of 


71 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

legal  practice.  At  the  outset,  almost  in  spite  of 
himself,  he  was  drawn  into  politics.  His  first 
venture  was  a  successful  vindication  of  the  good 
name  of  his  friend.  Senator  Green,  to  whose  ad- 
vice his  own  settlement  in  Lyons  had  been  largely 
due.  Political  feeling  ran  high  just  then  in  New 
York  State.  An  "  Electoral  "  bill,  giving  to  the 
people  the  choice  of  electors  of  President  and 
Vice-President,  then  chosen  by  the  legislature,  was 
up  for  action.  The  Assembly  and  the  Governor 
were  for  the  bill ;  the  Senate  was  against  it,  fear- 
ing that  Jackson  instead  of  Crawford  might  be 
elected  if  the  people  made  the  choice.  All  this  is 
ancient  history  now,  for  another  electoral  usage 
has  long  been  established.  But  strife  was  plenti- 
ful about  the  matter  in  1824.  Particularly  in 
Wayne  and  Ontario  counties  had  popular  enmity 
fastened  itself  upon  Senator  Green.  The  Lyons 
Advertiser  refused  to  publish  his  speech,  and  the 
people  of  Waterloo  burned  him  in  effigy.  Mr. 
Butler  was  a  much  younger  man  than  Mr.  Green. 
He  was  a  newcomer  in  the  district,  and  he  had  up 
to  this  time  been  extremely  cautious  about  engag- 
ing in  political  discussions.  He  hesitated  to  take 
part.     "  It  does  not  become  me,"   he  wrote,  "  to 

73 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

say  or  do  much  at  this  time,  but  I  cannot  remain 
silent  and  witness  the  unfairness,  not  to  say  the 
dishonesty,  with  which  they  attempt  to  destroy  a 
man  for  having  discharged  with  frankness  and 
propriety  his  duty  to  his  country  and  his  con- 
science. I  know  Green.  I  know  him  to  be 
honest  and  intelligent,  above  suspicion  and  above 
reproach."  He  did  not  remain  silent ;  and  the 
course  he  took  in  its  union  of  calmness  and  im- 
petuosity is  characteristic  of  the  man  who  always 
won  the  convictions  of  his  opponents  in  after  life, 
before  attempting  to  compel  their  movements. 
Young  as  he  was  he  entered  the  political  field  him- 
self, and  in  a  letter  to  his  brother  gave  the  result : 
"  My  friend  Green,  who  is  one  of  the  most 
honest,  intelligent  and  popular  men  in  this  west- 
ern country,  has  somewhat  '  exposed  himself  to 
the  enemy  '  by  his  proper  and  honest  stand  in  the 
Senate  at  the  extraordinary  session.  Although 
there  is  not  a  man  in  the  country  who  is  more 
zealously  in  favor  of  the  Electoral  bill,  he  could 
not  consent  to  a  violation  of  the  Constitu- 
tion. The  editor  of  our  paper — the  Lyons  Ad- 
vertiser— is  a  violent  electoral  bill  and  Adams 
man,  and  also  under  Federal  influence.     He,  too, 

74- 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


was  much  incensed  with  Mr.  Green  for  presum- 
ing to  be  in  favor  of  an  immediate  adjournment, 
so  much  so  that  he  would  not  even  publish  his 
speech.  I  had  frequent  conversations  with  him, 
and  by  dint  of  persuasion  brought  him  over  to  the 
faith,  as  you  will  perceive  by  the  copy  of  the  Ad- 
vertiser which  accompanies  this.  The  remarks 
about  Mr.  Green,  under  the  editorial  head,  were 
written  by  me  and  published  verbatim  as  they 
were  written.  Great  is  the  astonishment  of  our 
villagers,  a  great  majority  of  whom  are  Federal- 
ists and  Clintonians,  at  the  course  of  the  editor  of 
the  Advertiser.  They  expected  that  instead  of 
justifying  he  would  denounce  Mr.  Green." 

Senator  Green  was  fortunate  in  his  advocate, 
and  the  story  goes  to  confirm  the  feeling  in  the 
reader  that  opportunity  combined  with  natural  ap- 
titude in  turning  the  attention  of  the  young 
lawyer  toward  politics.  But  he  resisted  the  temp- 
tation, great  as  it  must  haye  been,  and  after  due 
consideration,  he  wrote  in  December  to  his  friends 
at  Albany  formally  announcing  his  intention 
thenceforth  to  take  no  active  part  in  political 
life.  Many  of  his  friends  had  urged  him  to  the 
contrary    course,    but    most    of    them    seem     to 

75 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

have    recognized    the    wisdom    of   the     decision 
when  once  made.      Mr.  Croswell  wrote  : 

"You  say  you  have  renounced  poHtics.  It  is 
a  reasonable  resolution.  I  take  it  you  mean  by 
this  an  active  share  in  them  ;  for  it  is  quite  impos- 
sible for  you  or  me  to  lose  all  feeling  about  such 
matters.  Even  if  it  were  possible,  it  would  not 
be  proper.  There  are  great  considerations  why 
we  should  feel,  in  a  reasonable  degree,  the  respon- 
sibilities we  are  under  to  the  party,  the  country 
and  ourselves.  There  are  few  conditions  of  life 
in  which  we  can  be  absolved  from  these,  or,  in- 
deed, in  which  the  ordinary  feelings  of  the  mind 
would  allow  us  to  be  free  if  we  could." 

It  need  hardly  be  said  that  through  his  whole 
life  Mr.  Butler  had  a  deep  sense  of  these  public 
responsibilities  of  which  Mr.  Croswell  spoke. 
His  decision  as  to  active  political  life,  however, 
once  made,  was  never  changed.  Though  his  voice, 
his  pen  and  his  means  were  always  at  the  service 
of  any  good  public  cause  ;  and  though  his  influence 
made  him  a  friend  to  be  desired,  he  never,  except 
as  a  private  citizen,  entered  the  field  of  politics 
and  never  sought  its  honors. 

Arrangements  for  the  removal  to  Geneva  were 

76 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

completed  in  the  autumn  of  1824.     On  October 
25th  Mr.  Butler  wrote  : 

"  You  have  probably  been  apprised  of  my 
intention  to  remove  to  Geneva  and  will  not  there- 
fore be  surprised  at  the  caption  of  my  letter. 
Last  week  I  took  up  my  bed  and  walked  from 
Lyons  to  a  village  abounding,  I  hope,  in  more 
business  and  wealth  than  the  one  I  left.  Mr. 
Whiting  and  I  have  concluded  a  connection  as 
partners  equally  interested  in  the  profits  of  the 
practice  of  law.  We  partially  concluded  upon 
the  arrangements  in  Albany  last  winter,  and  it 
was  with  a  view  to  its  consummation  some  time 
during  the  season  that  I  located  at  Lyons,  not 
intending  to  become  a  permanent  citizen  of  that 
village.  Business  and  prospects  there  were  more 
flattering  when  I  left  than  I  had  any  reason  to 
expect  they  would  be,  and  if  the  connection  with 
Mr.  Whiting  had  not  been  formed,  I  think  that 
I  should  have  been  contented  to  remain  there 
although  inducements  to  remove  to  Onondaga 
and  join  Mr.  Earll  were  very  great.  The  situation 
of  Geneva  is  the  most  beautiful  imaginable.  It  is 
at  the  foot  of  the  lake  on  its  west  bank.  The 
lake  is   about  two  and   a  quarter  miles  wide  and 

77 


THE     LIFE     AND      LETTERS 


separates  us  from  Seneca   County  ;  and,  what  is 
remarkable  and  renders  the  country  more  inter- 
esting, the  lake   never  freezes   nor    has    it  been 
known  to  be  closed  with  ice  in  the  recollection  of 
the  oldest  inhabitant ;  the  water  is  clear  and  trans- 
parent, the  banks   not  very   bold  but  even  and 
sloping.    The  main  street  extends  for  more  than 
a  mile  along  the  bank  of  the  lake.     The  office 
which   we   at   present    occupy   is   on    the   public 
square  and  near  my  boarding  house.     A  new  one 
is  building  for  us  on  the   opposite   side  of  the 
square,  next  door  to   the  bank,  and   when   com- 
pleted will  be  one  of  the  finest  situations   in   the 
village.     Boarding    costs    more    than   at    Lyons. 
At  Geneva  boarding  and  lodging  cost  four  dollars, 
including  office  expenses.      The  Genevans  are  the 
most  enterprising  people  in    the  State    of    New 
York,  and  Geneva  will  soon  rival  any  place  in  this 
State  for   wealth    and   business.      We    intend    to 
apply  to  the  legislature  for  the  improvement  of 
the    navigation    of   the     outlet,   which    will    not 
only  give  an  impulse  to  trade  in  Geneva,  but  will 
be  a   source  of  vast  revenue    and   profit    to   the 
State.      It   is  also    in    contemplation   to    open    a 
canal  navigation  from  the  head  of  Seneca  Lake  to 

78 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 


Newtown  (now  Elmira)on  the  Susquehanna  River, 
a  distance  of  twenty  miles  only  and  directly  south. 
Refer  to  the  map  and  you  will  at  once  perceive 
what  a  door  will  be  opened  for  trade  and  what  an 
important  auxiliary  it  will  be  to  the  Erie  Canal  ; 
steamboats  will  be  built  next  season  to  ply  on 
the  lake  and  to  tow  boats  between  Geneva  and 
its  head." 

It  is  evident  from  the  tone  of  his  letters  that 
the  young  man,  just  entering  upon  law  practice  in 
Geneva,  had  no  notion  of  giving  up  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  his  adopted  village,  although  giving 
up  active  participation  in  the  politics  of  the  State. 
He  became  a  citizen  at  once  in  the  fullest  sense 
of  the  term.  He  drew  a  bill  for  the  Canal,  which 
was  presented  in  the  Legislature  by  Mr.  Whiting 
that  very  winter  and  took  active  interest  in  many 
other  projects,  afterwards  successfully  carried  out. 

At  this  same  session  of  the  Legislature  the  new 
firm  presented  a  bill  for  the  endowment  of  the 
college  at  Geneva.  "  Our  affairs,"  wrote  Mr. 
Bowen  Whiting  from  Albany,  January  9,  1825, 
"  stand  well,  so  far  as  we  know.  The  Governor 
is  fully  in  favor  of  our  canal  and  of  endowing  our 
college.      How  the  House  stands  I  do  not  know." 

79 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


The  canal  bill  had  its  vicissitudes,  but  passed  at 
this  session,  and  its  passage  was  celebrated  at  a 
public  dinner  in  Geneva.  The  College  bill  had 
its  vicissitudes  also.  In  the  spring  of  1826  Mr. 
Butler  visited  Albany  to  labor  in  its  interest,  and 
he  thereafter  continued  the  firm  friend  of  the  in- 
stitution then  called  Geneva  College,  which  later, 
with  new  endowments,  became  Hobart  College, 
and  has  since  abundantly  justified  its  founding. 

The  law  business  of  the  new  firm  was  from  the 
first  extensive.  Mr.  Bowen  Whiting  had  been 
established  in  Geneva  for  eight  years  and  had  a 
good  practice.  He  was  now  State  Senator  and  in 
his  absence  in  Albany  left  all  his  business  in 
Charles  Butler's  care.  The  advent  of  so  young  a 
lawyer  in  charge  of  important  cases  created  great 
interest.  One  of  the  first  of  these  cases  was  at  Can- 
andaigua.  A  private  letter  tells  of  the  compli- 
ment he  received  for  the  manner  in  which  he 
discharged  his  duty  :  "It  came  from  the  Crier,  a 
venerable-looking  giant  of  six  feet  eight  inches. 
'  Well  now '  (his  own  words),  '  it  does  my  heart 
good  to  see  a  child  like  you  speaking  to  the  jury 
so.  Bless  my  soul  !  Why,  you  are  a  little  boy, 
and  one  would   not  think  you  could  speak  so.'" 

80 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

But  speak  he  did  and  won  the  case,  which  was 
an  appeal  from  the  decision  of  a  justice,  and  there- 
by gained  such  renown  that  the  citizens  of  the 
town  of  WiUiamson  held  a  public  jubilee  "  in 
commemoration  of  the  triumph  of  virtue  over 
vice."  The  records  speak  of  many  other  cases 
undertaken  even  this  first  winter  in  defense  or 
prosecution  of  matters  of  relatively  high  import- 
ance, carried  on  by  young  Butler  without  any  as- 
sistance from  clerk  or  counsellor.  Yet,  in  the  midst 
of  the  session  of  the  Court  he  found  time  to  organize 
a  reading-room  for  Geneva : 

"  Since  my  return  (from  the  trial  of  the  cases 
just  mentioned)  I  have  been  head  over  ears  in 
business  at  the  office  and  preparing  for  the  trial  of 
a  number  of  cases  next  week  at  the  Common 
Pleas  and  Sessions  in  this  county  and  Canandaigua. 
I  have  also  been  engaged  in  drawing  the  consti- 
tution and  by-laws  of  the  '  Geneva  Atheneum,' 
which  we  organized  yesterday.  The  object  of  the 
Association  is  to  procure  a  number  of  the  best 
domestic  and  foreign  periodicals  and  newspa- 
pers, such  as  the  Edinburgh^  London  and  JVest- 
minster  ^arterly^  North  American  ^arterly, 
Atlantic   Magazine  and  others,   and  to  establish 

8i 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

a  general  reading-room  for  ladles  afid  gentlemen 
in  a  new  building  to  be  completed  by  the  first  of 
July — a  few  doors  from  my  office — under  the  di- 
rection of  five  managers  of  whom  I  am  one.  We 
sent  for  the  periodicals  yesterday." 

In  the  midst  of  his  busiest  season  Charles 
Butler  undertook  the  study  of  French.  He  wrote 
on  February  20,  1825:  "I  returned  yester- 
day from  Canandaigua  having  been  there  since 
Monday  attending  a  Court  of  Common  Pleas 
and  Sessions  and  having  officiated  as  District-At- 
torney. Thirteen  indictments  were  found.  Hav- 
ing no  one  to  assist  me  I  had  to  be  up  night  and 
day  and  two  nights  did  not  go  to  bed  at  all  but 
was  writing  constantly.  I  tried  three  indictments 
and  succeeded  in  all  of  them.  The  having  to 
attend  the  sittings  of  the  courts,  although  a  very 
interesting  duty,  is  most  fatiguing ;  the  noise, 
bustle  and  throng  are  tiresome.  But  the  trial  of 
a  case  involving  interesting  questions  of  law  is 
highly  entertaining.  A  court-house  during  the 
session  of  the  court  is  a  world  in  miniature ;  you 
see  at  once  men  from  different  sections  of  the 
country,  of  different  minds  and  interests,  of  differ- 
ent bearings  and  manners,  and  of  different  stations 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 


in  life,  from  the  judge  on  the  bench  to  the  vilest 
criminal  in  the  box.     I  do  not  find  time  to  read 
much  besides  law,  a  subject  which  has  interested 
me    for   years    and  which    now    grows  with  my 
growth  and  strengthens  with  my  strength.     But 
two  weeks  ago  I  commenced  reading  French  and 
I    have  made  pretty  good  proficiency    (can   say 
Bonnex  mot  du  pain  et  du  beurre—Nous  mangeons 
du  hachis!)   Business  has  broken  in  upon  it  and  in 
the  morning  I  shall  recommence.     I  take  a  lesson 
every  morning  from  nine  to  half-past    ten,  and 
have  to  get  up.pretty  early  to  prepare  for  it.     M. 
Canu,  the  teacher,  is   an   accomplished    French 
scholar,  a  lawyer  about  my  age.     He  was  friend  to 
Napoleon  and  belongs  to  a  respectable  family  m 
Paris.     He  is  a  friend  to  Lafayette.     He  arrived 
in  America  in  August  or  September,  being  com- 
pelled by  some  political  persecution  to  leave  his 
country.     He  comes   to  Geneva  highly  recom- 
mended  and  intends   to  take  a  few  scholars   and 
spend  the  summer  with  us.   He  is  a  fine  man  and 
under  his  instruction  I  shall  pursue  the  study  of 
French  as  long  as  he  remains." 

In  1825  enthusiasm  ran  high   over   Lafayette 
on  the  occasion  of  his  triumphal  progress  through 

83 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

the  State  of  New  York,  and  towns  and  cities  com- 
peted eagerly  for  the  opportunity  to  do  him 
honor.  Lafayette  had  been  visiting  Niagara  and 
was  to  make  his  journey  eastward  to  Albany. 
Great  was  the  rivalry  between  Lyons  and  Geneva 
as  to  which  should  secure  a  visit.  Mr.  Bowen 
Whiting,  young  Mr.  Butler  with  his  French  ac- 
cent just  new  from  Paris,  and  others  won  the  day 
for  Geneva.  Mr.  Butler  was  selected  as  one  of 
the  leading  citizens  to  receive  him,  and  wrote  de- 
scribing the  occasion  as  follows  : 

"  We  have  had  Lafayette  with  us  and  have  just 
recovered  from  the  fatigue  of  honoring  him.  I 
had  the  happiness  to  escort  him  about  twenty- 
five  miles  and  had  good  opportunity  to  make  ac- 
quaintance with  him  and  suite.  We  had  only 
twenty-four  hours'  notice  and  received  him  in 
style  inferior  only  to  the  display  at  Philadelphia 
— so  we  say  of  ourselves.  Lafayette  said  it  was 
beautiful  and  surpassed  anything  he  had  seen  in 
this  country.  The  entertainment  was  at  the 
Franklin  House,  just  finished,  at  the  foot  of 
Seneca  street,  on  the  margin  of  the  lake.  I  was 
on  the  committee  of  reception  of  which  Bowen 
Whiting,  who  made  the  address  of  welcome,  was 

84 


OF       C  H  ARL  ES       BUjrj^^^ 


chairman.     The  committee  included   the   leadmg 
citizens  of  the  village,  Henry  Dwight,  William  S. 
De  Zeng,  Major  Rees,  Joseph  Fellows,  Nicholas 
Ayrault,   Phineas   Prouty,  David   S.    Skaats  and 
others.     The  citizens  of  Geneva  were  cordial  and 
enthusiastic  in  their  reception  of  the  distinguished 
guest.     A  triumphal  arch,  decorated  with  flowers, 
was  thrown  over  Main  street,  at  the   point  where 
it  approached  the  public  square,  and   under  this 
the  carriage  containing   the  general   and  those  in 
the  procession   passed.      By  arrangement   he  was 
to  breakfast   at  Geneva  about  eleven  o'clock,  on 
his  arrival  from  Canandaigua,  where  he  had  passed 
the  night.     A  large  number  of  gentlemen,  mem- 
bers of  the  committee  and  others,  went  out  in  car- 
riages and  on  horseback  to  meet  the   escort  from 
Canandaigua,  about  two  miles  out.     On  entering 
the  village  the   procession   halted  on  the    public 
square,  on  Main  street,  opposite  the  Geneva  Ho- 
tel, where  the   guest  was   formally  transferred  to 
our  committee,  and  the  address  of  welcome  deliv- 
ered.     From  the  room  in  which  the  breakfast  or 
lunch  had  been  prepared  there  was  a  fine  view  of 
the  lake.     General  Lafayette  remarked  at  the  table 
that  it  was  to  him  a  pleasant  coincidence  that  he 


85 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

should  here  be  breakfasting  on  salmon  trout  taken 
from  Geneva  Lake,  in  America,  for  which  the  Lake 
of  Geneva  in  Switzerland  was  so  celebrated,  and 
where  he  had  often  eaten  the  same.  A  very  large 
and  fine  salmon  trout,  which  had  been  caught 
near  the  head  of  the  lake,  was  sent  to  the  commit- 
tee for  the  occasion.  It  was  a  clear,  beautiful  day, 
and  Geneva,  always  beautiful,  appeared  at  its  best. 
The  general  expressed  his  great  delight  in  the 
beauty  of  the  country  through  which  he  had  been 
riding  on  his  journey  eastward  from  Buffalo,  and 
particularly  with  the  situation  of  the  villages 
Canandaigua  and  Geneva,  on  the  margin  of  lakes 
which  give  such  finished  beauty  to  the  landscape." 
In  1825  two  incidents  occurred,  in  themselves 
of  slight  importance,  and  seeming  to  have  little 
connection,  which  gave  direction  to  one  of  the 
great  achievements  of  Mr.  Butler's  life.  One  of 
these  was  the  incorporation  of  the  Insurance 
Company  of  Geneva  with  a  capital  of  $250,000. 
While  in  Lyons,  Mr.  Butler  had  been  appointed 
agent  of  the  New  York  Insurance  Company, 
and  he  was  convinced  that  a  local  company  would 
be  a  substantial  protection  to  Geneva  and  afford  a 
good    investment  for    its    capital.      He  drew  the 

86 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

petition  and  bill  for  such  a  company  in  December. 
Mr.  Bowen  Whiting  presented  it  in  the  Senate, 
and  the  Charter  was  granted.  Whiting  and  But- 
ler were  made  Attorneys  for  the  company,  and 
thus  became  interested  in  the  fortunes  of  the  land- 
owners and  proprietors  in  all  the  villages  and 
towns  round  about.  The  knowledge  thus  gained 
was  a  useful  preparation  for  the  development  of 
that  region  through  the  system  of  mortgage  loans 
inaugurated  later  by  Mr.  Butler,  and  maintained 
by  the  great  insurance  company  which  he  after- 
wards represented. 

The  second  incident  which  turned  Mr.  Butler's 
mind  definitely  towards  the  possibilities  of  develop- 
ment helped  to  deepen  the  impression  of  the  first. 
Mr.  Edwin  Croswell  of  the  Albany  Argus  organ- 
ized in  May  a  "jaunt"  to  the  western  region. 
Mr.  Butler  became  one  of  the  party,  which  con- 
sisted of  five  gentlemen,  traveling  with  two  saddle 
horses  and  a  four-seated  wagon.  They  explored 
the  country  as  far  as  Buffalo,  thence  to  Niagara 
Falls  and  the  battle  grounds  of  Erie,  Chippewa, 
and  Bridgewater,  and  crossing  the  Niagara  River 
in  a  skiff  about  thirty  rods  below  the  Falls,  they 
journeyed  on  the  Canadian  side  to  the  Lake. 

87 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

"  Fort  George,"  wrote  Mr.  Butler,  "  Is  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Niagara  on  the  British  side  ;  Fort 
Niagara  is  on  our  side  directly  opposite  to  the 
former  ;  there  are  troops  stationed  at  both.  We 
saw  the  British  drilling  and  they  looked  brave  as 
death.  The  officers  appeared  well,  but  neither 
their  fort  nor  their  men  appear  as  well  as  Uncle 
Sam's  on  the  opposite  side.  The  village  of  New- 
ark is  delightfully  situated,  having  been  rebuilt 
since  the  war,  but  it  is  dull  and  tiresome.  We 
returned  to  Qiieenstown,  and  crossed  over  to  our 
country  at  Lewiston.  I  could  not  but  remark  the 
contrast  between  the  two  shores.  On  the  Canada 
side  the  country  is  truly  beautiful,  but  the  inhabi- 
tants are  indolent ;  farm  houses  in  decay,  fences 
generally  poor,  the  people  poor.  There  are  no 
signs  of  prosperity  or  business,  and  everything 
appears  still  and  silent  as  the  grave.  The  moment 
you  cross  you  are  sensible  of  a  change  in  every- 
thing. The  Americans  are  industrious  and  enter- 
prising. The  country  smiles  with  prosperity ; 
mechanic  arts,  agriculture,  commerce  and  manu- 
factures are  thriving.  This  contrast  is  generally 
remarked  by  all  who  travel  to  Fort  George.  The 
reason   is    obvious;    the  Canadians   are  oppressed 

88 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 


with  taxes  and  impositions  and  depend  on  govern- 
ment for  support.  The  Americans  are  independent 
of  government.  The  inhabitants  of  our  happy 
country  are  protected  in  their  rights  and  Hberties 
by  the  government,  but  they  have  no  Hen  upon 
it  for  their  maintenance.  They  must  exercise  the 
faculties  which  they  possess  for  that  purpose.  It 
is  a  fine  evening.  We  have  had  a  pleasant  game 
of  whist." 

Charles  Butler  left  the  party  at  Lockport.  "  I 
returned,"  he  wrote,  "  by  way  of  Burning  Springs, 
about  seventeen  miles  south-west  of  Geneva.  It 
is  a  most  singular  phenomenon.  The  gas  is  car- 
ried through  ordinary  pine  pump  logs  from  the 
spring  to  the  house,  about  twenty  rods,  and  is 
communicated  to  the  stove  and  lighted.  It  burns 
constantly  and  is  a  substitute  for  fuel.  It  is  also 
a  substitute  for  candles,  being  carried  through  the 
barrel  of  a  gun.  The  gas  escapes  through  the 
priming  hole  in  the  barrel  and  is  lighted  up.  The 
old  lady  was  boiling  her  tea-kettle  for  breakfast. 
It  contained  four  quarts  of  water  and  boiled  in 
fourteen  minutes.  We  had  a  most  delightful  ex- 
cursion— fine  roads,  fine  company,  and  a  fine 
country." 

89 


THE     LIFE     AND      LETTERS 

The  year  1825  has  been  dwelt  upon  rather  at 
length  since  it  was  one  of  great  moment  for  its 
achievements  and  its  promise.  Most  important 
of  all  were  its  later  months.  On  the  loth  of  Oc- 
tober Mr.  Butler  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza  A. 
Ogden,  of  Walton,  Delaware  County,  New  York. 
This  marriage  was  the  fulfillment  of  a  long- 
cherished  desire.  The  story  of  the  friendship,  of 
the  awakening  love,  of  the  increasing  intimacy,  of 
the  tender  affection,  is  told  in  a  long  series  of 
letters,  glowing  with  a  constancy  of  love  and  sym- 
pathy which  made  even  the  reticence  characteristic 
of  the  day  eloquent  of  devotion  and  fidelity.  It 
was  a  fortunate  union,  which  for  more  than  fifty 
years  grew  increasingly  more  complete.  Eliza 
Ogden  was  the  eldest  of  six  children.  Her 
brothers,  William  B.  and  Mahlon  D.  Ogden,  be- 
came citizens  of  Chicago,  and  from  its  earliest  days 
identified  themselves  with  its  growth.  Two  of  the 
youngers  sisters  also  settled  in  that  city.  Caroline, 
afterwards  Mrs.  Ezra  B,  McCagg,  first  married 
William  E.  Jones,  who  became  a  partner  in  the 
real  estate  firm  of  Ogden,  Sheldon  and  Company, 
established  in  Chicago  in  1836.  The  youngest 
sister,  Frances,  married  Edwin    H.  Sheldon,  who 

90 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


also  became  a  partner  in  the  firm.  Only  one 
sister,  Emily,who  married  Judge  N.  K.  Wheeler, 
remained  in  Delaware  County,  where  she  lived  for 
many  years.  She  afterward  settled  near  the  de- 
lightful home  "  Boscobel,"  at  High  Bridge  (New 
York  City),  in  which  Mr.  William  B.  Ogden  spent 
the  last  ten  years  of  his  life. 

Abraham  Ogden  had  moved  from  Morristown, 
New  Jersey,  to  Delaware  County,  attracted  by  the 
water  power  and  fine  forests  of  that  region.  He 
built  a  mill  and  established  a  prosperous  lumber 
business  at  Walton  on  the  Delaware  River,  float- 
ing the  logs  down  the  river  every  Spring  after  the 
freshets,  sometimes  going  on  the  raft  himself  to 
Philadelphia,  where  he  found  his  market.  In  her 
girlhood  Eliza  had  twice  made  this  journey  of 
three  or  four  hundred  miles  with  her  father,  and 
recalled  visits  in  the  Quaker  City,  where  she 
walked  in  the  street  with  silk  stockings  and  white 
kid  slippers.  Mr.  Ogden  also  raised  sheep  and 
manufactured  woolen  cloth.  The  Government 
offered  bounties  to  encourage  home  manufactures 
after  the  War  of  1812,  and  Mr.  Ogden  won  both 
the  State  and  County  bounty  for  his  woolen  cloth. 
The  prize  was  a  handsome  silver  tea-set,  still  in 

91 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

the  family,  made  at  Albany,  with  a  well-wrought 
sheep  standing  on  the  lid  of  the  tea-pot  and  sugar 
bowl. 

Eliza  Ogden  had  been  no  stranger  to  Judge 
Butler's  household,  for  her  aunt,  Hannah  Weed, 
had  married  William,  Medad's  youngest  brother  ; 
and  the  friendship  formed  at  school  with  Emily, 
their  daughter,  had  made  her  as  a  cousin  to  all  the 
Butlers  of  Charles's  generation.  Indeed,  Benjamin 
Franklin  Butler,  in  the  letter  which  he  wrote  to 
Charles  congratulating  him  on  his  marriage, 
claimed  to  have  almost  lost  his  heart  to  Eliza, 
when  she  as  a  little  girl  of  thirteen  stayed  at  his 
father's  house  a  day  or  two  on  her  way  to 
boarding  school.  "  I  once  saw  her,"  he  said, 
"  when  on  her  way  to  Litchfield  some  nine  or  ten 
years  ago.  She  was  then  a  little  girl,  but  she 
proved  nearly  as  dangerous  to  me  as  she  has  since 
done  to  you,  for  I  well  recollect  that  I  was  half 
inclined  to  fall  in  love  with  her  myself"  Of 
course,  Benjamin  Franklin,  who  must  have  been 
a  staid  lawyer  of  the  mature  age  of  twenty-one, 
could  not  seriously  consider  little  girls  of  thirteen, 
but  this  conquest  was  but  one  of  the  evidences  of 
the    attraction    which  through    all    her  life    Mrs. 

9* 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


Butler  had  for  those  who  knew  her.  Eliza  had 
the  advantage  of  early  and  good  training.  In  the 
summer  of  1816,  the  same  year  in  which  Charles 
went  to  Greenville  Academy,  she  v/as  sent  with 
her  cousin  Emily  to  the  boarding  school  of  Miss 
Pierce  in  Litchfield,  Conn.  The  journal  which 
she  kept  during  the  two  years  of  her  stay  gives 
evidence  of  a  remarkably  well-balanced  mmd.  In 
this  school  sound  instruction  was  given  in  all 
English  branches.  Especially  good  seems  to  have 
been  the  training  in  history,  for  which  the  taste 
then  formed  gave  solace  to  many  later  years.  One 
notes  with  interest  how  thorough  was  the  course 
as  compared  with  similar  work  in  these  days. 
Steady  regular  drill  in  Grammar,  Blair's  rhetoric, 
Geography,  History  ("  Universal,  Sacred  and 
Profane")  for  the  week  days,  regular  religious 
instruction  for  the  evenings  and  Sundays — this  was 
the  mental  diet  for  the  girl  of  thirteen  in  the  Con- 
necticut School.  The  journal  gives  critical  obser- 
vations upon  the  preaching  of  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher, 
then  about  forty  years  old  and  at  the  zenith  of  his 
early  fame.   Dr.  Beecher  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brace 


* 


*Mr.  Brace  was  the  father  of  Mr.  Charles  Loring  Brace  for  many 
years  engaged  in  charitable  work,  in  the  City  of  New  York. 


93 


THE     LIFE     AND      LETTERS 

were  counsellors  to  the  girls  at  school,  and  their 
influence  greatly  aided  in  fixing  the  steadfast 
Christian  character  on  Mrs.  Butler's  later  life. 
She  was,  however,  of  strong  native  resolution,  and 
owed  a  debt  only  for  impulse  and  suggestion  to 
this  early  training.  We  find  her  after  her  return 
to  Walton  reading  Addison's  "  Spectator,"  Paley's 
"  Evidences,"  Volney's  "  Ruins,"  and  Erasmus 
Darwin's  "  Temple  of  Nature  "  ;  and  the  list  of 
her  reading  through  the  next  few  years  might 
almost  serve  as  a  record  of  the  useful  literature 
of  the  day.  It  was  Napoleon's  hour  in  the  first 
quarter  of  the  century,  and  history  illumined  by 
his  career  became  the  ardent  study  of  youth.  It 
is  not  all  a  gain  to  young  girls  of  our  day  that  the 
easy  magazine  and  the  never  absent  novel  have 
supplanted  the  sterner  methods  of  an  earlier 
period. 

And  yet  one  cannot  think  that  it  was  chiefly 
qualities  of  the  mind  which  made  this  union  so 
perfect  through  all  the  years.  "  Love  is  the 
pilot,  love  the  only  guide,"  said  Charles  in  one  of 
his  letters,  "  and  I  have  a  presentiment  already 
that  the  little  urchin  will  lead  me  off  on  some  fine 
October  morning,  when  the  heavens  are  blue  and 

94 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

the  sun  shines  clear  and  bright,  even  if  you  do  not 
give  me  a  written  consent  to  come."  To  his 
dying  day  he  had  a  heart  of  thankfulness  that  this 
love  had  filled  his  life. 


CHAPTER  III 

LIFE  AT  GENEVA PROFESSION  OF  RELIGION- 
RESIGNATION     OF     POSTMASTERSHIP THE 

MORGAN       TRIAL GREAT      WORK      IN 

CONNECTION  WITH  THE  NEW  YORK 
LIFE    INSURANCE     AND    TRUST 
COMPANY     ON      BEHALF    OF 
THE  FARMERS  OF  WEST- 
ERN    NEW      YORK 


IT  was  a  simple  establishment  that  the  young 
people  set  up.  The  village  of  Geneva  then 
contained  about  two  thousand  inhabit- 
ants, with  three  hundred  houses  and  twenty-six 
shops  of  all  kinds,  great  and  small.  It  had  two 
hotels,  excellent  for  those  days — the  Mansion 
House  at  the  village  centre  and  the  Franklin 
House,  just  opened,  by  the  lake.  There  were 
besides  several  small  inns  of  the  old-fashioned 
type,  more  like  family  boarding  houses  than  hotels, 
with  a  few  large  comfortable  rooms,  and  with  pro- 
prietors of  the  type   of  the    host  of  the  Tabard 

96 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

Inn  when  Chaucer's  pilgrims  were  "  esed  atte 
beste  "  on  the  road  to  Canterbury.  It  was  in  one 
of  these  family  homes,  somewhat  ambitiously 
known  as  the  "  Eagle  Tavern,"  that  the  house- 
hold was  first  established. 

William  B.  Ogden,  who  appears  in  the  let- 
ters as  a  delightful  friend  and  companion  of  his 
sister,  drove  the  wedding  party,  Charles,  Eliza 
and  Charles's  sister,  Clarissa,  in  his  own  wagon 
the  long  journey  from  Walton  to  Geneva.  He 
gave  advice  in  the  fitting  up  of  the  new  home, 
and  bought  in  New  York  forty  yards  of  carpet, 
at  a  dollar  a  yard,  of  "  good  bright  colors  with  a 
figure  or  pattern  very  neat  and  small."  Ben- 
jamin Franklin  Butler  gave  assistance  in  getting 
the  chairs.  "  We  have  furnished  our  parlor," 
wrote  Mrs.  Charles  Butler  to  her  brother,  "in  a 
plain  but  comfortable  manner.  The  carpet  which 
you  bought  me  is  first  laid  down  and  looks  very 
neat.  Then  we  have  a  very  neat  cherry  table  on 
which  to  set  candles  (there  being  no  mantel  piece 
in  the  room,  but  a  Franklin  fireplace  like  yours  at 
Walton),  and  a  dozen  handsome  curled  maple 
chairs  which  you  know  I  liked  so  well  at  Albany 
and   sent  for  there.     We  have  a  very  handsome 

97 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


looking-glass  at  twenty  dollars,  and  under  that 
stands  my  work-stand,  these  being  the  two  richest 
pieces  of  furniture  in  the  room.  Charles  has  a 
picture  of  Lafayette  on  one  side  of  the  room 
which  with  a  neat  pair  of  brass  andirons  must  con- 
clude the  description.  Our  chairs  cost  fifteen 
shillings  each  and  with  one  shilling  for  putting 
them  up  in  mats  they  cost  us  sixteen  shillings 
($2.06)  each,  which  I  think  was  very  cheap.  I 
think  you  will  give  us  some  credit  for  being  eco- 
nomical." Four  years  later  Mr.  Butler  built  a 
house  on  the  shore  of  the  Lake,  and  took  much 
pleasure  in  laying  out  a  garden  in  terraces  sloping 
down  to  the  water's  edge. 

Charles  Butler  came  of  a  family  which  had  pre- 
served the  earnest  seriousness  of  its  Puritan  an- 
cestors. The  stern  and  rock-bound  coast  on 
which  they  settled  was  in  harmony  with  their  own 
nature.  The  reticence  of  the  soul  in  those  days 
was  a  barrier  not  easily  passed.  There  was  a 
rigid  distinction  between  the  world  and  the  church, 
and  the  habit  of  communion  with  others  on  deep 
themes  was  gained  only  after  intense  strain  and 
effort.  Thus  periods  of  exceptional  emotional 
life,  "  revivals  of  religion,"  became   the   habit  of 

98 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


church  work.      During  this  first  year  at   Geneva 
one  of  these   waves  of  emotion   swept  over  the 
western  country.     Charles  Butler  was  touched  by 
it  and  he  threw  himself  actively  thereafter  into  all 
the  religious  life  of  the  community.  He  became  the 
corresponding  secretary  of  the  American  Sunday 
School   Union  and  organizer  of  Sunday   School 
work  throughout  the  county  of  Ontario.    In  con- 
nection with   other  citizens   he   re-organized  the 
County  Bible   Society,  auxiliary  to  the  American 
Bible  Society,  became  its  secretary,  and  made  ad- 
dresses in  its  behalf  throughout  the  county.     Out 
of  his   slender  means  he  contributed  twenty-five 
dollars  a  year  toward  the  support  of  a  minister  in 
the  new  church   at   Kinderhook   Landing.      One 
may  say  that   this  was   not  a   large  amount,  and 
that  these  labors  were  not  constantly  engrossing, 
yet   for    a    young   lawyer   to   contribute    thus  of 
time  and   means  implies  a  devotion   and   a  firm- 
ness of  principle  that  go  far  to  explain  the  greater 
service  of  his  later  life. 

He  was  ready  to  sacrifice  as  well  as  to  labor.  In 
1830  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Geneva  with- 
out solicitation  on  his  own  part ;  the  salary  was  a 
great  assistance  ;  the  routine  work  could  be  mostly 

99 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


done  by  clerks  ;  and  the  duties,  in  those  days  of 
few  mails  and  infrequent  and  expensive  corres- 
pondence, were  not  arduous.  But  after  long  de- 
liberation and  some  weeks  of  experience  Mr.  But- 
ler resigned  the  office,  and  wrote  a  letter  to  the 
authorities  at  Washington  which  is  given  here  be- 
cause it  is  a  revelation  of  character  as  well  as  a 
record  of  sacrifice  : 

"Geneva,  N.  Y.,  26th  of  May,  1831. 
To  the  Honorable    William    Taylor   Barry, 
Postmaster-General : 

"  Dear  Sir — In  communicating  to  you  my  re- 
signation of  the  post  office  of  this  place,  I  feel  it 
my  duty  from  the  uniform  confidence  and  cour- 
tesy which  you  have  extended  to  me,  the  high 
regard  which  I  entertain  for  your  character,  and  a 
proper  consideration  of  the  immediate  causes  which 
influenced  me,  to  explain  briefly  the  reasons. 

"  Soon  after  entering  upon  my  duties  I  found 
that  there  was  no  Sabbath  in  the  post  office.  The 
best  assistant  I  ever  had,  and  subsequently  two 
other  young  men  of  high  character,  resigned  on 
this  account,  and  it  was  difficult  to  secure  compe- 
tent and  conscientious  service.  I  endeavored  to 
persuade   myself  that  there  was  necessity  in   this 


100 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

arrangement ;  that  the  Sunday  mails  could  not  be 
discontinued  and  the  office  closed  on  that  day 
without  prejudice  to  the  public  interest ;  that  the 
law  of  the  land  regulated  the  business,  and  that  I 
was  acting  under  the  responsibility  of  an  oath  to 
perform  the  duties  of  the  office  according  to  law. 
But  more  reflection  brought  me  to  the  conclusion 
that  if  there  was  any  propriety  in  suspending  the 
business  of  the  other  departments  of  government 
on  that  day,  the  principle  applied  with  greater 
force  to  the  Post  Office  department  than  to  any 
other,  for  its  business  was  not  only  more  extensive 
but  employed  a  greater  number  of  agents  ;  and  it 
seemed  to  me  that,  so  far  from  this  presenting  a 
justification  in  favor  of  the  measure,  it  furnished 
the  strongest  reasons  in  favor  of  a  more  rigid  sus- 
pension  of  all   transactions   on  this  day. 

"It  is  a  striking  commentary  upon  the  business 
arguments  in  favor  of  Sunday  mails,  that  although 
the  mail  which  arrives  on  that  day  may  bring  me  a 
letter  containing  information  upon  which  I  may 
desire  speedily  to  make  a  contract,  yet  the  common 
law  of  the  land  expressly  declares  the  invalidity 
of  contracts  made  on  Sunday.  Knowing  that  the 
business  could  not  be  varied  except  by  the  inter- 


lOI 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

position  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  I 
have  resolved  to  rehnquish  the  office,  and  I 
hereby  resign  the  same,  to  take  effect  at  the  expi- 
ration of  the  present  quarter  on  the  30th  June  next. 

"  I  sincerely  hope,  my  dear  sir,  that  during  your 
administration  and  under  the  auspices  of  our  be- 
loved President,  the  business  of  the  Post  Office 
Department  may  be  established  upon  a  footing 
more  congenial  with  the  moral  spirit  which  char- 
acterizes our  free  and  happy  institutions.  I  have 
frankly  expressed  my  views.  In  so  doing  I  may 
perhaps  have  failed  in  satisfying  you  of  their  pro- 
priety and  I  may  have  presumed  too  much  upon 
your  indulgence.  But  for  this  I  shall  make  no 
apology,  as  I  have  been  prompted  by  considera- 
tions of  duty  to  be  frank  with  you,  that  you 
may  not  by  reason  of  silence  on  my  part  attri- 
bute my  resignation  to  any  other  than  the  true 
cause.  Pray  accept,  my  dear  sir,  the  assurance  of 
my  regard  and  esteem  forever." 

When  this  decision  was  made  Mrs.  Butler 
was  at  Walton,  on  a  visit  to  her  family.  Her  hus- 
band wrote  to  her : 

"  Some  events  have  transpired  at  Geneva ; 
namely,  a  house-cleaning,  in  the  way  of  domestic 

102 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

news,  and  an  office-resigning.  I  have  resigned 
the  post  office,  and  I  am  right  glad ;  indeed,  no 
act  of  my  life  ever  affi^rded  me  one-half  the  grati- 
fication and  peace  of  mind  that  this  has,  and  I  feel 
gratitude  to  the  great  and  good  Author  and  Giver 
of  every  perfect  gift  that  He  has  not  only  guided 
and  directed  me,  but  that  He  has  so  tempered  my 
mind  to  it.  My  dear  wife,  I  have  clearer  evidence 
of  the  goodness  of  God  in  this  transaction  than 
in  any  other  of  my  life." 

The  professional  life  at  Geneva  was  full  of 
achievement  from  its  beginning.  Charles  Butler 
was  a  fine  advocate — "  tall,  grave,  dignified,"  say 
the  descriptions — and  won  confidence  so  rapidly 
that  his  legal  activities  soon  became  part  of  the 
history  of  the  section.  He  desired  to  take  no 
share  in  politics  save  as  a  citizen  interested  in  the 
welfare  of  the  State.  But  his  pen  was  at  the  ser- 
vice of  his  convictions,  and  the  contributions 
which  he  made  to  the  Palladium  at  Geneva,  and  to 
the  Argus  at  Albany,  soon  made  him  well  known 
to  all  the  active  citizens  of  the  region.  His  influ- 
ence became  a  potent  one,  and  his  approval  or  dis- 
approval an  important  factor  as  respected  both 
measures  and  men. 

103 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


Shortly  after  his  settlement  a  remarkable  inci- 
dent of  his  legal  career  gave  him  more  than  local 
fame.  In  the  autumn  of  1826  and  the  spring  of 
1 827  he  became  a  public  prosecutor  in  the  famous 
"  Morgan  case."  It  is  difficult  now,  after  the  lapse 
of  three-quarters  of  a  century,  to  realize  the  tre- 
mendous interest  excited  by  this  case,  and  to  un- 
derstand the  prominence  which  any  one  officially 
connected  with  the  conduct  of  it  thereby  attained. 
William  Morgan  was  a  member  of  the  Order  of 
Free  Masons,  who,  in  1826,  for  reasons  not  clear, 
determined,  in  connection  with  a  printer  friend, 
named  Miller,  to  publish  to  the  world  the  secrets 
of  the  Masonic  Order.  His  purpose  was  discov- 
ered, and,  naturally,  caused  intense  excitement 
among  masons.  The  little  printing  office  at  Bata- 
via  became  a  centre  of  interest  for  all  the  country 
about,  and  all  legitimate  means  were  exerted  to 
suppress  the  revelations. 

Then  in  the  autumn  of  1826  came  a  sensation. 
On  the  15th  of  September  Morgan  was  arrested 
at  Batavia  on  a  trivial  charge  of  debt,  hurried  to 
Canandaigua,  tried,  convicted,  and  committed  to 
jail  in  default  of  the  small  sum  needed  to  satisfy 
the  judgment.      Late  in  the   evening  of  the  same 

104 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


day  several  men  in  a  carriage  stopped  at  the  jail, 
satisfied   the  judgment,  took   Morgan  and  drove 
away.     He  was   never  again    seen    alive   by   his 
friends.     The    carriage    was    afterwards    traced, 
moving  westward,  drawn  by  relays   of  horses,  as 
far  as  the  Niagara  river.     At  the  mouth   of  the 
river  stood  the  old  Fort  Niagara,  then  unoccupied 
by  troops,  and  in  charge  of  a  single  custodian  who 
with  his  family  lived  in  the  barracks.   In  the  maga- 
zine of  this  fort  Morgan  was  confined  for  a  day 
or  two.     Then  he  vanished  from   the  face  of  the 
earth,  and  to  this  day  the  mystery  of  his  taking 
off  has  never  been  solved.      Fifty-six  years  after 
the  event  Mr.  Thurlow  Weed  published   an  ac- 
count of  a  confession  of  one  who  said  he  helped 
to  murder  Morgan  ;  but  the  hands  of  him  who 
should   have  signed  the  confession  were  cold  in 
death  before  the  signature  could  bewritten.   Look- 
ing  back   now   after  these  many  years,  it  seems 
probable  that   the  original   intention   of  his  kid- 
nappers was  to  remove  Morgan  to   the  safe  cus- 
tody of  certain  Masons  in  Canada,  where  no  writ 
could  reach  him  ;  and  that  this  intention  was  not 
carried  out  on  account  of  the  unwillingness  of  the 
Canadian  Masons  to  receive  so  dangerous  a  guest. 


105 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

Hence  the  halt  at  Niagara  and  the  mystery  of  the 
disappearance.  But  even  if  one  considered  that 
the  murder — granting  that  there  was  a  murder — 
was  not  a  part  of  the  design,  the  horror  remained. 
The  shock  of  it  startled  the  world,  and  the  mystery 
deepened  as  the  months  went  by. 

The  men  who  had  aided  in  the  kidnapping  were 
men  of  good  standing  in  the  community,  personally 
known  to  Bowen  Whiting  and  Charles  Butler. 
They  were  brought  to  trial,  and  it  was  the  duty  of 
the  District-Attorney  to  undertake  their  prosecu- 
tion. This  District-Attorney  was  Mr.  Bowen  Whit- 
ing. Hewas  himself  a  Mason, andwhile  fullydesir- 
ous  of  seeing  justice  done,  he  naturallyfelt  that  some 
suspicion  of  his  zeal  in  prosecuting  his  fellow- 
masons  might  easily  be  aroused.  In  his  stead 
Charles  Butler,  who  as  his  partner  acted  as  deputy 
district-attorney,  had  sole  charge  of  the  case. 
Under  his  direction  four  of  the  men  who  brought 
Morgan  from  Batavia  to  Canandaigua  were  indicted 
in  November,  1826,  for  kidnapping.  At  the 
January  circuit  of  1 827  they  were  arraigned.  They 
pleaded  guilty  and  were  punished  by  imprison- 
ment. 

The  successful  prosecution  of  these  cases  made 

106 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 


Mr.  Butler  the  best  known  man  at  the  bar  in  the 
western   portion   of  New  York   State.     For  the 
matter  rapidly  became  a  subject  of  far  more  than 
local  interest.   It  had  the  attraction  of  a  mystery  ; 
it  involved  men  of  prominence  ;  and  it  seemed  to 
suggest  a  question  of  principle.     These  men  were 
not  ordinary  ruffians  and  had  no  thought  of  per- 
sonal advantage.    They  believed  themselves  to  be 
acting  in  the  interest  of  good  morals.     They  were 
defending,  as    they    believed,    the    institution    of 
Free  Masonry,  and  the  reasons  which  they  gave 
for  their  conduct  roused  a  storm  of  controversy 
they    could    little    have    foreseen.     When    they 
pleaded  guilty  to  the  kidnapping,  three  of  them 
signed  an  exculpatory  and  mitigatory  affidavit  in 
which  they  avowed  that  their  only  object  was  to 
suppress   the   publication   of  the    book.     In  the 
language   of  the    affidavit :  "  The    said    William 
Morgan  was  engaged  in  the  publication  of  a  book 
on  Free  Masonry,  in   which  he  revealed    secrets 
which   he  had  solemnly  sworn   never  to  reveal ; 
and  the  said  deponents,  being  desirous  to  prevent 
such  publication,  aided  in  the  removal  of  Morgan 
for  that  purpose."     To  the  people  this  seemed  a 
high-handed  outrage  and  defiance  of  law  avowed 


107 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


under  oath,  committed  by  Masons  for  Masonic 
purposes  ;  and  the  institution  of  Free  Masonry 
became  involved  in  the  public  condemnation  of 
this  act.  Such  a  burst  of  indignation  and  feeling 
was  excited  in  western  New  York  among  men  of 
all  parties  that  the  matter  quickly  became  one  of 
high  political  concern.  The  farmers  met  in  pri- 
mary meetings  in  every  town  throughout  the 
seventh  and  eighth  election  districts  of  the  State 
and  resolved  deliberately  never  to  vote  for  any 
member  of  the  Masonic  Order  for  any  elective 
office.  For  the  people  believed  that  the  kid- 
nappers acted  with  high  authority  and  rested  on 
some  power  which  would  protect  and  defend  them. 
The  foundations  of  the  party  institutions  of  the 
day  were  threatened  by  this  new  issue,  and  the 
eyes  of  statesmen  throughout  the  Union  awaited 
with  anxious  dread  the  impending  revolution  in 
Western  New  York. 

It  will  not  be  possible  here  to  give  a  full  account 
of  this  struggle;  though  the  tale  of  the  coUision 
of  political  forces  on  this  issue  in  Vermont,  in 
Massachusetts  and  in  Pennsylvania,  as  well  as  in 
New  York,  of  its  importance  in  the  presidential 
contest  of  1828,  of  its  influence  on  the  fortunes 

108 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


of  John  Quincy  Adams  and  of  Andrew  Jackson, 
might  well  detain  us.  It  was,  take  it  all  in  all, 
one  of  the  most  important  political  incidents  of 
the  period,  and  to  be  prominent  in  it  meant  a 
prominence  rarely  gained  in  those  days  of  no  rail- 
roads, no  telegraphs,  of  slow  communication,  and 
tardy  publicity.  Charles  Butler  became  known 
to  public  men  as  well  as  to  the  lawyers  of  his 
State,  and  gained  their  confidence  by  the  sagacity 
of  his  course.  He  was  not  himself  a  Mason ; 
nor,  on  the  other  hand,  did  he  ally  himself  with 
the  Anti-Masonic  movement.  He  performed  his 
legal  duty  in  the  prosecution  with  promptness 
and  success  ;  his  influence  was  wholly  on  the  side 
of  a  candid,  calm  consideration  of  the  principles 
involved  rather  than  of  a  hasty  yielding  to  the 
impulses  of  excitement.  To  one  now  reading  the 
story  he  seems  almost  the  only  local  leader,  closely 
connected  with  the  exciting  action,  who  remained 
throughout  unmoved  by  passion.  The  leaders 
of  the  parties  took  him  into  their  confidence.  It 
was  planned  that  Martin  Van  Buren,  then  United 
States  Senator  from  New  York,  should  be  nomin- 
ated to  the  Governorship,  with  a  view  to  his  ulti- 
mate  election  as    President  of  the  United  States, 


109 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


and  that  a  prominent  Western  New  York  man, 
Mr.  Throop,  should  be  made  Lieutenant-Gover- 
nor so  that  Van  Buren  could  safely  resign  in  case 
of  nomination  to  the  Presidency.  In  the  interest 
of  these  plans,  which  ultimately  were  in  the  main 
carried  out,  Mr.  Butler  went  in  1828  as  delegate 
to  the  Convention  at  Herkimer. 

To  a  young  lawyer  prominence  is  the  gateway 
to  success.  Genius,  says  an  ancient  writer,  con- 
sists in  seizing  opportunity  when  it  comes.  Charles 
Butler  seized  this  opportunity  and  reaped  its  best 
fruits.  Enticing  as  seemed  the  invitation  to  for- 
get his  former  resolution  and  take  up  politics,  he 
resisted  the  temptation,  though  for  a  little  time, 
as  already  mentioned,  he  accepted  the  postmaster- 
ship  of  Geneva  and  became  the  confidant  and 
adviser  of  the  political  leaders  of  his  section. 
Flattering  as  it  must  have  been  to  Charles  Butler, 
when  Judge  Duer  of  the  Supreme  Court  resigned 
his  position  that  he  might  become  President  of 
Columbia  College,  to  have  Mr.  Vanderpoel,  his 
former  instructor,  request  his  influence  toward  the 
succession  ;  and  flattering  as  it  must  have  been 
to  have  half  the  politicians  of  the  region  at  his 
door  when  matters  of  policy  were  to   be  decided. 


1 10 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


he  never  seemed  in  the  least  moved  from  his  judi- 
cial calm.  But  very  tangible  results  of  his  pro- 
minence soon  came  to  him  in  the  line  of  his  own 
profession  in  a  department  which  he  thereafter 
made  peculiarly  his  own.  Men  of  influence  in 
the  financial  as  well  as  in  the  political  and  legal 
world  began  to  hear  his  name  as  that  of  an  honor- 
able and  efiicient  man ;  and  his  career  then  began 
as  legal  representative  of  institutions  having  great 
interests  in  charge. 

His  first  responsibility  of  this  kind  brought  him 
face  to  face  with  a  moral  problem.  The  Charter 
of  the  Bank  of  Geneva  had  expired.  The  former 
incorporators  wished  to  have  it  renewed,  and  asked 
Mr.  Butler  to  go  to  Albany  and  labor  in  the  in- 
terests of  the  bill.      In  reply  he  wrote: 

"  If  the  other  banks  send  agents  of  pure  morals 
and  high  character  whose  well-earned  reputations 
forbid  at  once  the  idea  that  they  could  be  guilty 
of  improper  conduct  to  effect  their  objects,  then 
an  agent  might  safely  unite  his  influence  to  theirs 
in  effecting  what  all  sensible  men  must  acknowl- 
edge the  best  interests  of  the  State  demand — the 
renewal  of  the  Charters  of  our  sound  banking 
institutions.      If,  for   instance,  the   Ontario   Bank 

III 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


should  send  Mr.  Greig,  and  other  banks  should 
employ  agents  equally  high-minded  and  honor- 
able, one  certainly  could  not  suffer  in  reputation 
by  being  associated  with  them."  And  not  until 
he  got  assurances  of  the  character  of  the  men 
representing  other  institutions  from  the  banks  and 
from  all  concerned,  would  he  accept  the  commis- 
sion. When  once  decided  he  undertook  the  work 
with  energy.  The  Charter  bill  was  passed,  and 
a  sound  and  enduring  reputation  in  financial  circles 
was  a  part  of  his  reward. 

For  aid  and  sympathy  in  these  early  years  of 
work  Mr.  Butler  was  greatly  indebted  to  his  wife. 
It  is  difficult  to  do  justice  to  this  wholesome,  help- 
ful, loving  influence.  "  Let  us,"  she  wrote,  "  be 
just  to  ourselves  and  to  others.  We  shall  be 
much  happier  and  better  if  we  are.  I  had  rather 
live  on  bread  and  water  than  to  feel  indebted  to 
any  human  being  and  be  unable  to  pay  that  which 
is  justly  due.  And  you  know  that  your  wife 
desires  nothing  so  much  as  your  happiness  and 
peace  of  mind  and  honorable  reputation."  Hap- 
piness and  peace  she  brought  into  the  years. 
"  Defer,"  she  wrote  when  once  her  husband 
seemed  despondent,  "  all  sighs  and  tears  until   we 


IIZ 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 


meet,  when  we  will  sigh,  and  cry,  and  laugh,  for 
joy."  Mrs.  Butler  was  a  warm  friend  and  charm- 
ing hostess,  winning  for  herself  and  for  her  hus- 
band's home  the  enthusiastic  commendation  of 
every  visitor. 

She  was  also  the  most  cheerful  of  comrades, 
whether  present  or  absent.  In  the  summer  of 
1829,  being  somewhat  out  of  health,  she  was 
exiled  to  Guilford,  Conn.,  then  a  "  watering 
place  "  of  some  repute.  It  was  not  a  very  gay 
spot  for  summer  diversion,  being  mosdy  "  crabs, 
clams,  scallops,  oysters  and  sand,"  but  Mrs. 
Butler's  letters  from  the  town  illumine  the  whole 
region  with  her  cheerfulness. 

On  one  occasion,  when  Mr.  Butler  was  away, 
she  wrote  from  Geneva  : 

"  I  stayed  with  Mrs.  Whiting  on  Friday  night. 
I  was  there  all  the  afternoon,  and  it  being  stormy 
I  concluded  to  stay,  as  I  had  nothing  in  particular 
to  call  me  home — no  husband — no  children — no 
servants — no  house — no  cares — what  a  blessing 
it  is  to  have  nothing  to  care  for  !  One  might 
think  that  my  lot  was  perfect  happiness ;  *  free  ^s 
air  '  to  go  and  come  when  I  list,  do  what  I  please. 
But  the  goddess  of  Liberty  never  resides  in  a  val- 

113 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

ley  ;  she  delights  in  the  mountains  ;  and  ever  since 
my  acquaintance  with  that  mischievous  urchin 
Cupid  she  has  never  favored  me  much  with  her 
society.  The  little  fellow  has  fastened  such  be- 
witching and  enduring  cords  about  my  heart,  so 
interwoven  himself  into  my  affection  and  wish, 
that  although  I  sometimes  long  for  a  little  more 
of  Liberty's  sweets,  yet  I  cannot  relinquish  my 
attachment  for  that  powerful,  mysterious  and 
delightful  little  deity.  You  will  conclude  that  I 
am  growing  romantic.  Truly  my  habitation  seems 
to  be  the  resort  of  the  gods  and  goddesses.  In 
the  morning  Aurora,  bright  daughter  of  the  dawn, 
awakes  me  with  her  rosy  light.  I  generally  have 
fair  Hebe  to  accompany  me  on  my  morning  walk. 
Ceres  presides  at  our  meals,  and  Somnus  attends 
me  to  my  couch.  My  next  letter  you  may  expect 
to  be  an  epic  poem.  The  subject,  I  think,  will 
be  a  good  one ;  to  commence  with  our  acquaint- 
ance, courtship  and  marriage  (which  will  afford 
numerous  delightful  episodes)  ;  to  proceed  to  our 
separation ;  and  to  conclude,  after  toils,  disap- 
pointments and  adverse  fortunes,  with  our  re- 
union  J 

In  the  spring  of  1830  opportunity  came  for  the 

114 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

great  work  that  Charles  Butler  accomplished  in 
developing  the  farming  interests  of  the  region  in 
which  he  lived.  Western  New  York,  now  the 
garden  of  the  State,  was  then  a  comparatively 
new  country.  It  originally  consisted  of  extensive 
forests,  as  far  as  Lake  Erie  on  the  west  and  Lake 
Ontario  on  the  north.  The  first  settlers,  gene- 
rally from  New  England  and  the  eastern  and 
older  portion  of  the  State  of  New  York,  had  a 
laborious  and  exhausting  life  in  clearing  the  land 
and  subduing  it  for  cultivation.  The  fee  of  a 
very  large  part  of  this  territory  was  held  by  land 
companies  who  had  purchased  from  the  original 
proprietors.  These  companies  were  the  Pulteney 
Estate  (English),  the  Hornby  Estate  (Scotch), 
and  the  Holland  Land  Company  (Dutch).  The 
lands  of  the  first-named  company  lay  chiefly  in 
Wayne,  Ontario,  Steuben,  Monroe,  Livingston 
and  Cattaraugus  counties,  stretching  from  Lake 
Ontario  on  the  north  to  the  Pennsylvania  line  on 
the  south,  covering  the  most  beautiful  and  fertile 
region  of  that  portion  of  the  State.  Its  agency 
was  at  Geneva,  with  Mr.  Joseph  Fellows  as  gene- 
ral agent.  Interspersed  with  the  Pulteney  prop- 
erty were  the  lands  of  the  less  extensive  Hornby 

"5 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


estate,  with  an  agency  at  Canandaigua,  in  charge 
of  Mr.  John  Gray.  The  lands  of  the  Holland 
Land  Company  lay  chiefly  west  in  Orleans,  Gen- 
esee, Chautauqua,  Erie  and  Niagara  counties,  and 
at  this  time  its  agency  was  at  Batavia,  Mr.  David 
Evans  being  general  agent.  The  land  office  sys- 
tem was  indulgent  towards  purchasers,  and  had 
need  to  be,  for  the  first  settlers  of  the  country 
came  seeking  to  better  their  condition,  generally 
without  any  capital,  or  with  a  very  small  sum 
which  had  been  saved  for  the  purpose  of  covering 
the  expense  of  travel  and  transportation.  The 
settlements  began  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  and  had  multiplied  in  the 
first  third  of  the  nineteenth,  by  which  time  the 
timber  had  been  well  cleared  oflF  and  the  farm 
lands  were  in  good  and  productive  condition.  But 
the  houses  of  the  farmers  were  yet  very  largely 
built  of  logs,  and  there  was  great  need  of  capital. 
The  Land  Companies  had  been  honorably  con- 
ducted and,  as  already  stated,  had  been  liberal  in 
their  dealings  with  the  farmers.  But  this  very 
liberality  had  gradually  brought  the  farmer  into 
a  state  of  dependence  amounting  almost  to  vassal- 
age, extremely   prejudicial    to  the  growth  of  free 

ii6 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

and  independent  life.  He  usually  had  no  title  to 
his  land.  He  had  contracted  to  purchase  it  on  in- 
stalment payments  and  was  to  receive  a  deed  only 
on  payment  of  the  last  instalment.  His  debt  bore 
interest,  and  if  left  unpaid  this  interest  was  con- 
verted into  capital  and  thus  compounded.  As  the 
means  of  the  settler  during  the  first  years  upon 
his  new  land  were  likely  to  be  exhausted  for  the 
support  of  himself  and  his  family,  and  for  the  im- 
provements which  were  indispensable  for  the  pro- 
tection of  health  and  life,  at  the  end  of  the  year 
he  was  generally  behind  on  his  contract  to  pay  the 
instalment,  and  at  the  mercy  of  the  land  office. 
The  office  readily  extended  the  time  for  payment, 
converting  the  interest  into  capital.  The  farmer 
was  not  in  a  situation  to  question  this  condition 
which  gave  him  immediate  relief,  hardly  realizing 
until  too  late  that  he  had  increased  his  burden.  He 
rarely  found  it  possible  to  complete  his  instal- 
ments. In  Genesee  County  in  1829  not  a  single 
farmer  held  a  title  to  his  land.  He  had  gradually 
become  a  tenant  at  will  ;  he  could  not  sell  and 
give  a  deed  for  the  property  in  which  all  his  means 
had  been  invested  ;  and  the  instability  of  his  fi- 
nancial position  weakened  his  influence  as  a  citizen. 

117 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

It  was  as  a  far-seeing  observer  that  Charles  But- 
ler began  to  consider  the  problems  involved  in 
this  condition.  It  seemed  to  him  that  the  rem- 
edy was  for  some  capitalists  with  ample  means 
to  advance  money  to  these  farmers  on  long  time 
and  reasonable  interest,  in  amounts  sufficient  to 
enable  them  to  pay  off  the  remaining  instalments 
to  the  land  companies,  to  obtain  their  deeds,  and 
with  no  immediate  obligation  upon  them  beyond 
the  annual  interest,  to  be  able  to  devote  some 
surplus  each  year  to  the  improvement  of  their 
estates.  In  the  general  improvement  of  the  coun- 
try from  year  to  year,  not  only  by  the  labor  of 
the  farmer  but  by  immigration  and  by  increased 
facilities  of  communication,  these  lands  had 
become  and  were  becoming  of  more  and  more 
value,  so  that  in  settled  portions  of  the  country 
good  farming  lands  with  reasonable  improvements 
were  worth  from  twenty  to  forty  dollars  an  acre. 
Charles  Butler  saw  here  an  opportunity  for  in- 
vestment which  would  give  a  reasonable  return  to 
the  capitalist  and  would  be  of  inestimable  service 
to  the  communities  of  this  western  region. 

To  most  of  us  to-day  this   plan  would  seem  to 
be  a  self-evident  business  proposition  needing  no 

ii8 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 

missionary  effort.  Conditions  seventy-five  years 
ago,  however,  were  not  the  same  as  now.  The 
vast  extent  of  the  country,  the  slow  means  of 
transportation,  the  difficulty  of  gaining  trustworthy 
local  reports,  the  unsettled  currency,  the  imper- 
fect banking  system,  the  continuous  financial 
needs  of  developing  regions,  the  lack  of  concen- 
tration of  resources  and  of  convenient  means  of 
distribution — all  these  made  pioneer  work  neces- 
sary in  financial  matters. 

In  March,  1830,  the  New  York  Life  Insurance 
and  Trust  Company  was  incorporated.  It  was 
the  first  company  of  its  character  in  this  State, 
and  its  charter  gave  it  great  power.  It  had  the 
right  of  effecting  insurance  on  lives,  of  receiving 
monies  in  trust  from  guardians  and  from  estates, 
and  of  being  a  depository  for  monies  held  by  the 
Court  of  Chancery  ;  and  hence  the  Legislature 
embodied  in  the  charter  special  provisions  to 
make  the  deposits  of  trust  funds  with  the  company 
secure  beyond  a  doubt.  The  company  was 
required,  owing  to  the  extraordinary  powers 
vested  in  it,  to  loan  its  capital,  which  was  a  mil- 
lion dollars,  under  the  security  of  bond  and 
mortgage,  only  on   real  estate,  restricted  to  one- 

119 


THE     LIFE      AND     LETTERS 

half  of  the  valuation,  and  subject  to  the  super- 
vision of  the  Court  of  Chancery.  Just  after  the 
organization  of  this  company  Mr.  Butler  went  to 
New  York  and  made  a  personal  application  to 
the  board  of  directors  on  behalf  of  the  farming  in- 
terests of  Western  New  York.  He  carried  let- 
ters of  introduction  from  influential  friends  to  the 
president,  William  Bard,  and  to  directors  of  the 
company,  among  whom  at  that  time  were  John 
Jacob  Astor,  Isaac  Bronson,  Robert  Lenox, 
Stephen  Whitney,  Samuel  Ward,  Nathaniel 
Prime,  Thomas  Ludlow  and  other  capitalists  of 
New  York  City.  After  repeated  conferences  they 
consented  to  make  loans  upon  lands  and  rarms  in 
the  region  which  he  recommended,  and  the  great 
enterprise  was  inaugurated. 

When  it  was  announced  to  the  public  that 
money  might  be  obtained  on  the  security  of  farms 
from  the  trust  company,  on  application  through 
Mr.  Butler,  great  interest  was  excited  through 
all  the  Western  counties,  and  applicants  thronged 
to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity.  It  was  a 
new  business,  bringing  him  into  direct  contact 
with  the  landed  and  farming  interests  of  the  coun- 
try, and  he   had   necessarily  to  organize  a  system 


I20 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


of  safe  and  convenient  procedure.  There  was  a 
wide  field  far  selection  in  the  choice  of  security. 
As  these  loans  were  to  be  made  in  preference  to 
farmers,  the  first  question  to  the  applicant  was, 
naturally,  for  what  purpose  was  the  loan  desired. 
Generally,  it  was  to  pay  up  a  balance  due  upon 
his  contract  to  the  Land  Office,  and  to  obtain  a 
deed ;  or  for  the  purpose  of  paying  off  an  exist- 
ing mortgage  upon  his  land,  given  for  the  pur- 
chase money  ;  or  it  might  be  to  enable  him  to 
make  a  purchase  of  land  and  pay  for  it  in  cash, 
when  by  so  doing  he  could  make  an  advantageous 
bargain.  The  applicants  of  the  first  two  classes, 
and  particularly  of  the  first  class,  were  most  fav- 
ored by  him,  for  as  a  general  rule  the  amount  re- 
quired to  pay  off  the  balance  due  to  the  land  com- 
pany and  take  a  deed  was  small  in  comparison 
with  the  value  of  the  land,  and  by  making  the 
loan  in  that  case  there  was  a  double  benefit  se- 
cured. It  converted  the  farmer  from  the  relation 
of  a  tenant  at   will  into  a  freeholder. 

To  eflfect  this  an  arrangement  was  made  with 
the  several  land  companies,  by  which,  when  it  was 
ascertained  that  the  applicant  was  to  receive  the 
loan,  the  Land  Office  would  transmit  a  deed  of  the 


IZI 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

land,  with  the  understanding  that  the  needful  secur- 
ity, a  bond  and  mortgage  to  the  Trust  Company, 
would  be  executed  by  the  party  when  the  securi- 
ties had  been  duly  recorded  and  the  negotiation 
with  the  trust  company  for  the  money  completed. 
The  company  would  transmit  the  draft  for  the 
money,  out  of  which  the  amount  due  to  the  Land 
Office  would  be  paid.  This  arrangement  was  a 
great  convenience  in  the  transaction  of  business, 
nor  did  any  difficulty  ever  result  from  it  between 
the  agent  and  the  land  offices.  A  very  large 
amount  was  loaned  to  borrowers  of  the  first  class 
in  Genesee  County,  where  the  lands  were  held 
under  contract  with  the  Holland  Land  Company. 
In  one  town  in  this  county,  Alabama,  so  many 
applications  were  made  for  loans  of  this  character 
that  the  farmers  organized  an  association  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  them,  and  appointed  a  justice 
of  the  peace,  named  Wheeler,  to  act  for  the  ap- 
plicants. He  came  all  the  way  to  Geneva  with 
their  papers,  and  so  many  loans  were  made  in 
this  town  that  it  was  called  "  Butler's  Trust 
1  own. 

The  good    effected    by  this  work   of   Charles 
Butler's  was  incalculable.   For  he  acted  not  merely 


122 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 


as  trustee  for  a  company  interested  in  investing  its 
funds  safely,  nor  merely  as  agent  for  a  farmer 
desirous  of  easing  his  financial  burdens,  though  he 
never  forgot  the  interest  of  either  party.  He  was 
also  a  wise  and  far-seeing  citizen  of  the  State,  and 
his  concern  for  the  development  of  the  Western 
section  was  unceasing.  Somewhat  more  than  a 
million  dollars  was  loaned  by  him  for  this  Trust 
Company  and  for  other  capitalists,  and  hundreds 
of  thriving  farming  communities  bore,  and  bear 
to-day,  testimony  to  the  excellence  of  the  work. 

Nor  did  he  neglect  other  interests,  either  material 
or  spiritual.  With  all  the  energy  at  his  command 
he  aided  in  a  project  for  a  railroad  from  Schenec- 
tady to  Buffalo  in  the  fall  of  1 83 1 .  He  united  in 
the  call  for  a  convention  in  its  behalf  and  labored 
for  its  charter  with  unselfish  zeal.  He  found  time 
to  take  charge  of  the  interests  of  the  Temperance 
Society  in  the  towns  of  Naples,  Hopewell,  Cal- 
houn, Seneca  and  Phelps,  and  made  a  subscription 
to  send  a  colonist  to  Liberia. 

When  he  went  to  New  York  on  his  business 
for  the  Trust  Company,  it  was  not  of  loans  and 
mortgages  that  he  wrote.  It  was  partly  of  the 
lighter  things  of  life,  of  finding  lodgings  "  in  an 

123 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

excellent  Irouse,  Miss  Boyd's,  66  Broadway,"  and 
of  going  out  to  dine  with  Mr.  Arthur  Bronson,  Mr. 
Betts,  Mr.  Bard,  Mr.  Robinson,  Mr.  Devereaux, 
or  Dr.  Ludlow,  and  of  the  proceedings  at  the  din- 
ners, where,  in  February,  they  sat  down  by  can- 
dle light  to  the  dinner  table  at  half-past  five,  and 
whence  they  left  for  home  at  exactly  nine  o'clock. 
But  it  was  mainly  of  the  serious  things  of  life 
which  lay  nearest  his  heart  that  he  wrote ;  and  the 
letters  rarely  close  without  some  expression  such 
as  that  given  below,  of  interest  in  spiritual 
things  : 

"  I  attended  Dr.  Spring's  church  yesterday  and 
heard  two  most  excellent  discourses,  and  in  the 
evening  attended  St.  Thomas's,  where  I  heard  a 
favorite,  Mr.  Hawkes,  with  whom  I  was  much 
delighted.  He  preached  a  missionary  sermon. 
I  have  attended  the  Sunday-schools  every  Sunday 
of  my  absence  and  addressed  the  teachers  at  Utica, 
Poughkeepsie,  and  yesterday  in  Dr.  Spring's,  so 
that  I  hope  that  I  may  be  in  some  small  degree 
in  the  path  of  duty,  and  rendering  humble  service 
to  my  Master's  cause.  1  feel  a  deep  interest  in 
every  measure  of  Christian  enterprise,  and  I  only 
hope  to  be  more  diligent  and  faithful,  and  to  work 

124. 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 


while  it  is  day,  and  while  I   enjoy  the  rich  bless- 
ings of  health  and  life." 

It  was  in  the  early  part  of  its  beneficent  service 
to  the  farmers  that  the  Trust  Company  for  which 
he  acted  had  an  opportunity  rarely  given  to  a 
financial   institution.      It    might    have    been   the 
means  of  printing  a  Bible  and  of  becoming  spon- 
sor for  a  new  religion.     One  morning  in  1 830  as 
Mr.  Butler  entered  the  ofiice,  usually  found  full 
of  farmers   seeking   loans,  he   met   a   respectable 
citizen,   one     Martin    Harris    of    Palmyra,    who 
brought  him  letters  of  commendation  from  a  per- 
son of  repute    in  his  town  and   desired  a  loan  of 
thirteen  hundred  dollars.     Since  the  building  up 
of  the  communities  was  very  much  at  heart  with 
him,  it  was  Mr.  Butler's  custom  never  to  advise  a 
loan  unless  the  applicant  could  give  proof  of  good 
habits,  character  and  capacity,  and  also  a  worthy 
purpose  for  which  the  money  was  desired.     So  a 
catechism  began  and  went  on  to  complete  satisfac- 
tion until  the  last  question  was  propounded.  With 
much    hesitation    the    farmer    admitted    that     he 
wanted  the  money  to  pay  for  publishing  a  book. 
Now  farmers  in  New  York  had  not  up  to  that 
time  been  much  given  to  the  habit  of  mortgaging 

1*5 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

their  farms  in  order  to  publish  books,  and  Mr. 
Butler's  curiosity  was  excited.  It  was  not  dimin- 
ished when  Mr.  Harris  seriously  said  that  the 
book  he  wished  to  publish  was  a  Bible. 

It  was  that  Bible  which  was  written  on  golden 
plates  by  Jacob  the  brother  of  Nephi,  Enos  the 
son  of  Jacob,  Jarom  the  son  of  Enos,  Omni  the  son 
of  Jarom,  Mormon  the  son  of  Omni,  and  Maroni 
the  son  of  Mormon.  In  the  year  384  a.  d.,  said 
Mr.  Harris,  after  the  great  battle  on  the  hill 
Cumorah,  in  what  is  now  Western  New  York, 
Maroni,  one  of  the  few  survivors,  became  a  wan- 
derer ;  and  in  a.  d.  420  he  sealed  up  the  golden 
plates  on  which  the  records  of  God's  promises 
were  written  and  hid  them  in  the  hill.  There 
they  had  lain  until  a  little  while  before,  when  Di- 
vine inspiration  had  come  to  one  Joseph  Smith, 
a  young  man  living  in  Palmyra,  directing  him  to 
go  to  a  certain  hill  in  the  town  of  Manchester — 
this  same  ancient  hill  of  Cumorah — just  south  of 
Palmyra,  and  there  to  dig  in  the  earth  until  he 
came  to  these  plates,  the  books  of  the  Bible  of 
Mormon,  the  son  of  Omni.  Joseph  Smith  had 
gone,  said  Mr.  Harris,  and  there  he  found  the 
golden  plates,  thin  tablets  about  eight  inches  long 

ia6 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


by  seven  wide,  bound  together  by  three  rings, 
engraved  on  each  side  in  hieroglyphics  in  a  dialect 
of  ancient  Egyptian,  not  then  known  upon  the 
earth.  With  these  plates  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
had  helped  Joseph  Smith  to  find  also  the  Urim 
and  the  Thummim,  the  two  transparent  stones  in 
silver  bows,  through  which  Smith,  the  inspired 
prophet,  could  read  and  interpret  the  writings. 
This  was  the  book  that  Martin  Harris  wished  to 
publish,  the  famous  Mormon  Bible,  documentary 
basis  of  a  religion  noted  in  later  days,  and  still  of 
importance  in  at  least  one  western  State. 

The  earnest  convert,  although  much  discour- 
aged by  Mr.  Butler's  refusal  to  make  the  loan  or 
to  commend  the  project  to  the  consideration  of 
the  New  York  Life  Insurance  and  Trust  Com- 
pany, departed  asserting  that  nevertheless  the 
Bible  would  be  printed,  that  he  would  receive  a 
copy,  and  that  when  he  had  read  it  he  would  be- 
come a  convert.  Only  a  few  days  later  Mr.  Butler 
met  a  tall,  alert-looking  young  man  on  the  street 
who  gave  him  a  letter  from  James  Watson  Webb 
of  the  New  Tork  Courier  and  Inquirer,  introducing 
James  Gordon  Bennett,  sent  thus  promptly  as  a 
reporter  into  these  distant  western  wilds  for  infor- 

127 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


mation  concerning  this  Mormon  Bible.  Mr. 
Bennett  was  then  the  assistant  editor  of  the 
Courier  and  four  years  later  became  the  enterprising 
founder  of  the  New  Tork  Herald.  It  may  be 
added  that  two  of  the  assertions  of  Martin  Harris 
were  made  good,  for  the  book  was  published  and 
Charles  Butler  received  a  copy. 


CHAPTER   IV 

PLANS    FOR  NEW  ENTERPRISES VISIT  TO    THE 

NORTHWEST DETROIT CHICAGO RE- 
LIGIOUS   WORK BUSINESS  OPENINGS 

^JOURNEY      TO      OHIO RE- 
MOVAL   FROM     GENEVA 
TO     NEW     YORK 


A  GREAT  record  had  been  made  in  western 
New  York  in  the  nine  years  since  Charles 
Butler,  on  his  first  visit  to  Buffalo  in 
1824,  had  found  "the  stumps  of  the  forest  still 
standing  in  its  finest  streets."  In  those  few  years 
the  country  had  changed  from  a  wilderness  dotted 
with  log  cabins  to  a  land  full  of  cities  and  towns 
knit  together  by  the  facilities  of  civilization. 
Farmers  had  become  independent  citizens.  Routes 
of  travel  had  been  firmly  established.  Canal 
and  stage-coach  lines  had  become  prosperous, 
and  there  were  rumors  of  railroads  soon  to 
come.     Banks    had    opened,    manufactures    had 

129 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


started,  stable  local  currency  systems — precursors 
of  the  great  national  system  which  as  yet  had  not 
been  created — had  come  into  being.  All  this  had 
taken  place  under  the  observation  of  Charles  But- 
ler since  he  opened  his  modest  office  at  Geneva. 

In  a  large  part  of  this  growth  he  had  him- 
self been  prime  mover.  To  him  was  due  in  great 
measure  the  stability  of  real-estate  ownership,  the 
stability  of  local  financial  institutions,  and  the  es- 
tablishment of  helpful  relations  between  these  far- 
away farming  sections  and  the  great  financial  cen- 
tre of  New  York  City.  So  completely  had  he 
identified  himself  with  the  growth  and  prosperity 
of  the  region  that,  in  1833,  when  he  was  scarcely 
more  than  thirty,  it  was  almost  as  a  veteran  that 
he  looked  upon  the  growing  life  about  him.  He 
felt  the  instincts  of  a  pioneer  ready  to  push  out 
still  farther,  to  carry  into  new  fields  the  forces  of 
civilization. 

In  January,  1833,  while  visiting  Mr.  Arthur 
Bronson  in  New  York,  the  two  friends  made 
a  plan  to  explore  the  western  country  as  far  as 
Fort  Dearborn,  and  study  its  possibilities.  Mr. 
Robert  A.  Kinzie,  whose  name  has  since  become 
part  of  the  topography  of  Chicago,  came  soon  after 


130 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 


to  New  York  for  his  yearly  purchase  of  goods  for 
the  Indians.  Mr.  Kinzie  maintained  that  a  large 
town  would  yet  be  built  on  the  site  of  the  little 
village  near  Fort  Dearborn,  which  is  now  the  city 
of  Chicago.  This  seemed  rather  an  extravagant 
proposition,  but  one  worth  considering,  and  in  the 
following  June  Mr.  Butler  started,  in  company 
with  Mr.  Arthur  Bronson,  for  a  journey  to  the 
western  wilds. 

In  1833  Detroit  was  really  an  out-post  of  civ- 
ilization, to  which  the  little  steamer  Superior 
ran  on  Lake  Erie  from  Buffalo,  making  the  dis- 
tance in  a  little  more  than  two  days.  It  was  an 
old  French  settlement  just  emerging  into  the  sta- 
tus of  an  American  town.  It  had  a  social  charm 
from  the  old  French  residents,  whose  courtesies 
made  the  visit  a  delightful  one.  Hospitality  and 
kindness  were  shown  on  every  hand.  One  of  his 
friends  even  offered  to  Mr.  Butler  his  pet  saddle 
horse  for  the  long  journey  to  Fort  Dearborn. 
Three  distinct  social  conditions  were  in  evidence  : 
the  cultivated  French  residents,  the  frontier  mili- 
itary  force,  and  the  drunken,  half-civilized,  wholly 
impossible  Indian  natives.  Black  Hawk,  the  In- 
dian Chief,  came  with  them  on  the  steamer,  and 


131 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


talked  with  them  sadly  of  the  future  of  his  people. 
Of  interest  also  was  the  quick-coming  growth 
which  seemed  in  sight.  Before  the  march  of  civil- 
ization the  Indians  must  go,  and  even  the  French. 
The  travelers  noted  "several  handsome  old  French 
houses  standing  in  the  centre  of  the  town  and  in 
the  way  of  improvement." 

Beyond  Detroit,  to  the  northward  and  the  west- 
ward, stretched  a  wilderness.  Northward,  as  far  as 
Fort  Gratiot  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Huron,  travel  by 
water  could  be  carried  on  somewhat  uncertainly. 
Our  travelers  made  this  journey  in  a  dilapidated 
steamboat,  which  broke  down ;  and  returned  in  a 
still  more  dilapidated  schooner,  making  the  whole 
trip  of  eighty  miles  each  way  in  a  little  less  than  a 
week.  Westward,  there  was  no  regular  means  of 
communication,  and  they  took  saddle  horses  to 
Fort  Dearborn.  The  journey  of  three  hundred 
miles  from  Detroit  to  Fort  Dearborn  was  consid- 
ered rather  an  adventurous  one  for  travelers  who 
were  neither  Indian  traders  nor  pioneers  accus- 
tomed to  hardships.  The  route  was  by  the  old  In- 
dian trail,  which  crossed  the  southern  portion  of 
the  territory  of  Michigan  southwesterly  from 
Detroit  through  the  village  of  Ypsilanti  to  White 

13* 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

Pigeon  Prairie;  thence  through  South  Bend  and  La 
Porte  Prairie  to  Michigan  City;  thence  sixty  miles 
along  the  shore  of  the  lake  to  Fort  Dearborn.  The 
journey  was  to  occupy  fully  ten  days,  and  elabo- 
rate preparations  were  made.  Arthur  Bronson 
and  Charles  Butler  rode  Indian  saddle  ponies,  and 
a  young  man  named  Gohlson  Kercheval,  who  had 
been  connected  with  the  Indian  agency  at  Fort 
Dearborn,  went  with  them  as  guide,  cook,  com- 
panion, and  commissary  agent,  in  charge  of  a 
two-pony  wagon  which  contained  the  supplies  and 
provisions.  The  trail  wound  across  the  prairies 
through  noble  groves  of  forest  trees  and  by  the 
margins  of  beautiful  lakes. 

"  If  you  have  never  seen  a  prairie,"  wrote  Mr. 
Butler,  "  it  is  utterly  impossible  for  me  to  convey 
to  you  any  idea  of  the  peculiar  and  interesting 
aspect  which  it  presents.  The  White  Pigeon 
Prairie  is  an  expanse  of  about  fifteen  thousand 
acres  skirted  or  encircled  with  a  dense  and  noble 
forest  of  timber,  which  is  to  it  like  the  frame  of 
a  picture.  In  looking  off  upon  a  landscape  like 
this  one  feels  the  sentiment  of  the  Psalmist  when  he 
exclaims  :  "The  works  of  the  Lord  are  very  great, 
and  sought  of  all  them  that  have  pleasure  therein." 

133 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


In  the  midst  of  this  prairie  the  travelers  found 
the  little  village  of  White  Pigeon  with  a  population 
of  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  persons,  where  three 
years  before  was  only  a  solitary  desert.  Here  they 
spent  Sunday  and  found  a  flourishing  little  Sun- 
day School.  In  traveling  to  White  Pigeon  they 
passed  a  great  many  small  lakes,  from  one  to  five 
miles  in  length,  surrounded  by  the  native  and  lux- 
uriant forest,  which  were  delightful  and  cheering 
to  the  weary  travelers.  The  banks  were  generally 
sloping  to  the  water,  which  was  pure  and  clear  as 
crystal  and  abounding  with  fine  fish.  In  imagi- 
nation they  selected  many  a  site  for  a  country 
seat  on  the  margin  of  a  lake.  There  were  fifty 
lakes  in  St.  Joseph  County  alone,  covering  from 
one  to  sixty  acres  of  land,  some  of  them  having 
no  visible  outlet  or  inlet. 

The  country  west  of  White  Pigeon,  between  it 
and  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan,  was  interesting 
and  not  much  settled.  It  was  a  series  of  oak  open- 
ings, prairies,  and  dense  forests.  Beardsley's 
prairie,  through  which  they  passed,  excited  more 
admiration  than  any  which  they  had  yet  seen  ;  it 
formed  a  complete  circle  enclosed  with  a  forest  of 
oaks.     "  The  surface  of  this  prairie,"  wrote  Mr. 

134 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 


Butler,  "  is  undulating,  and  therefore,  to  our  eyes, 
more   beautiful.      If  it  were  owned  by  a  private 
gentleman,  and  he  had  exercised  his  taste  in  laying 
out  the  grounds  and  roads,  in  view  of  combining 
the  greatest  attractions,  he  could  not  have  made  a 
more  beautiful  park  than  this."     On  the  banks  of 
the  St.  Joseph's  river,  about  twenty-five  miles  from 
its  mouth,  was  the  little  village  of  Niles,  then  con- 
taining forty  or  fifty  log  houses.     At  this  point 
the  river  was  navigable  for  boats  of  considerable 
size,  and  it  was  throughout,  they  thought,  one  of 
the  finest  streams  of  water  they  had  ever  seen.  Its 
shores  were  generally  low,  but  not  marshy,  and 
the  country  through  which  it  flowed  enjoyed  the 
reputation  of  being  the  best  in  the  territory.      On 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river  was  then  a  reserva- 
tion belonging  to  the  Potawatamies  ;  they  passed 
through  Indian  villages  built  altogether  of  bark. 
"Terre  Coupe  prairie  and  Rolling  prairie,"  wrote 
Mr.   Butler,  "are  very   handsome    tracts    inter- 
spersed with  little  *  islands  '  of  forests.     This  may 
strike  you  as  a  singular  and  inappropriate  term  as 
applied  to  a  forest,  but  the  traveler  uses  it  natu- 
rally, for  it  expresses  the  appearance  which  the  fact 
presents.  These  islands  seem  to  have  been  planted 

135 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

and  cultivated  with  the  greatest  care.  Some  of 
them  are  two  or  three  miles  in  circumference,  sur- 
rounded with  extensive  prairie  on  all  sides,  some 
only  half  a  mile  or  less,  and  appear  as  if  rising 
above  the  surface  of  an  ocean.  The  settler  always 
locates  his  house  on  the  margin  of  the  wood,  and 
many  a  humble  log  house  is  to  be  found  within  the 
shade  of  a  princely  forest  on  a  site  which  would 
excite  the  envy  of  those  who  covet  a  country  resi- 
dence, of  a  beauty  which  the  hand  of  art  cannot 
possibly  equal.  Nature  has  done  that  here  which 
the  wealthy  have  spent  their  lives  and  fortunes  in 
their  efforts  to  accomplish." 

The  most  interesting  tract,  however,  which  the 
travelers  saw,  was  La  Porte  Prairie  in  Indiana. 

"  It  was  many  miles  in  length  and  breadth," 
wrote  Mr.  Butler,  "  surrounded  by  dense  woods. 
It  gained  its  name  because  at  one  point  the  bor- 
dering forests  converged  from  each  side  toward 
the  centre,  leaving  an  opening  just  wide  enough 
for  a  passage,  which,  viewed  from  the  east  or  west 
at  a  distance,  appeared  like  a  doorway  cut  through 
for  the  road.  As  one  passed  through  this  '  door ' 
either  way,  the  country  expanded  into  a  most  mag- 
nificent prairie.     Two  miles  east  of  the   opening 

136 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

was  the  little  village,  fitly  named  La  Porte." 
Three  months  before  the  travelers  passed  there 
was  not  a  single  house  on  the  ground  where  there 
were  now  more  than  twenty-five  log  buildings, 
including  two  stores. 

They  arrived  at  Michigan  City  late  in  the  even- 
ing. There  were  but  two  buildings  on  this  site, 
in  one  of  which,  the  "  City  Hotel,"  kept  by  Gen- 
eral Orr,  our  travelers  lodged.  It  was  a  small  log 
house,  with  a  single  room,  which  answered  the 
purpose  of  sitting-room,  eating-room  and  sleeping- 
room.  In  this  twelve  persons  lodged,  in  beds  and 
on  the  floor,  including,  of  course,  the  host  and  his 
wife.  There  they  met  Major  Elston,  of  Craw- 
fordsville,  who  had  become  the  purchaser  of  the 
section  of  land  on  which  Michigan  City  was  laid 
out.  He  had  just  then  completed  a  survey  and 
map  of  the  town  which  he  exhibited  to  them,  and 
ofl^ered  to  sell  lots.  It  was  a  great  novelty,  this 
map  of  Michigan  City,  and  in  the  morning,  when 
daylight  came,  the  novelty  was  still  more  striking, 
for  a  more  desolate  tract  of  sand  and  barren  land 
could  scarcely  be  imagined.  There  was  hardly  a 
tree  or  a  shrub  to  distinguish  it,  much  less  any 
house.     Major  Elston  had  become  interested  in 

137 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

it  because  it  was  the  only  place  on  Lake  Michigan, 
within  the  Hmits  of  the  State  of  Indiana,  where  it 
might  be  possible  at  some  future  time  to  establish 
a  commercial  port  in  connection  with  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  lake.  This  distant  vision  of  possibil- 
ities attracted  his  attention  at  this  early  day,  and 
the  survey  and  the  map  were  the  first  steps  to- 
wards its  realization. 

From  this  point  to  Chicago,  about  sixty  miles, 
the  trail  followed  the  shore  of  the  lake  nearly  the 
whole  distance.  There  was  but  one  stopping  place 
on  the  way,  and  that  was  the  house  of  a  French- 
man named  Bayeux,  who  had  married  an  Indian 
woman.  Here  and  there  were  Indian  villages. 
At  Calumet  River,  which  was  crossed  on  a  float, 
there  was  an  encampment  of  Potawatamie  Indians, 
whose  hammocks  swung  from  the  trees  on  the 
westerly  side  of  the  river.  Aside  from  these  na- 
tives not  one  resident  was  to  be  found  in  the  whole 
distance. 

"  I  approached  Chicago,"  wrote  Mr.  Butler, 
*'  in  the  afternoon  of  a  beautiful  day,  the  second  of 
August,  the  sun  setting  in  a  cloudless  sky.  On 
my  left  lay  the  prairie,  bounded  only  by  the  dis- 
tant horizon  like  a  vast  expanse  of  ocean,  on  my 

138 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

right  in  summer's  stillness  lay  Lake  Michigan.  I 
have  never  seen  anything  more  beautiful  or  capti- 
vating in  nature.  There  was  an  entire  absence  of 
animal  life,  nothing  visible  in  the  way  of  human 
habitation,  nothing  to  indicate  the  presence  of 
man ;  and  yet  it  was  a  scene  full  of  life,  for  there, 
spread  out  before  me  in  every  direction,  as  far  as 
the  eye  could  reach,  were  the  germs  of  life  in  earth, 
air  and  water.  In  these  closing  hours  of  day — so 
calm,  so  clear,  so  bright — I  came  to  the  realization 
of  the  objective  point  of  my  journey." 

But  what  was  the  Chicago  to  which,  in  this  year 
1 833, the  travelers  had  come  with  so  much  labor? 
A  small  settlement  of  a  few  hundred  people,  all 
told,  most  of  whom  had  come  within  the  last  year 
or  two.  The  houses,  about  twenty  in  number, 
were  of  the  cheapest  and  most  primitive  character. 
A  string  of  them,  which  formed  the  village,  had 
been  erected  without  much  regard  to  lines,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Chicago  River.  Just  above  the 
junction  on  the  west  side  of  the  south  branch  our 
travelers  found  lodgings  in  a  tavern  (afterwards  . 
known  as  the  "  Green  Tree ")  which  had  been 
improvised  for  the  entertainment  of  immigrants  by 
James  Kinzie.     The  building  was  not  lathed  and 

139 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


plastered  ;  the  partitions  were  made  by  blankets 
only,  and  free  communication  existed  between  all 
the  rooms.  Its  eastern  windows  looked  over  the 
little  village,  past  Fort  Dearborn  to  Lake  Michi- 
gan. To  the  west  stretched  three  hundred  miles 
of  unbroken  prairie.  On  the  north  beyond  the 
Chicago  River  there  was  then  but  one  building, 
known  as  the  "  Block  House,"  though  there  had 
been  a  house  near  it  occupied  by  Mr.  Kinzie,  the 
Indian  Agent,  until  its  destruction  by  fire.  The 
government,  under  the  charge  of  Major  Bender, 
had  just  entered  upon  some  improvements  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  for  military  purposes. 

This  was  all  the  "  Chicago  "  our  travelers  found  ; 
yet  Charles  Butler  wrote  : 

''  Chicago  is  a  beautiful  place  ;  the  north  and 
the  south  branches  of  the  Chicago  River  unite 
in  the  centre  of  the  town,  and  form  a  beautiful  river 
flowing  into  the  great  and  noble  lake,  as  shown  in 
the  rough  sketch  which  I  enclose. 

The  house  at  which  I  stay  is  on  the  point,  and 
I  look  down  upon  the  river  which  winds  through 
the  village  to  the  lake.  Vessels  of  the  largest  size 
can  come  up  to  the  point  in  front  of  the  tavern. 
The  banks  of  the  river  are  low,  but  dry.     We 


140 


CHICAGO    IN    1833 
141 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


cross  from  the  tavern  to  the  village  in  a  dug-out 
canoe.  The  lake  is  one  of  the  largest,  larger  than 
Erie  or  Ontario,  and  the  water  very  clear.  The 
lake  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  boundless  prairie 
on  the  other,  seem  to  leave  Chicago  in  the  centre 
of  a  great  ocean.  If  I  were  a  young  man  (Mr. 
Butler  was  then  thirty-one),  and  unmarried,  I 
should  settle  at  Chicago.  It  presents  one  of  the 
finest  fields  in  America  for  industry  and  enterprise, 
and  though  at  present  a  journey  to  this  point  is 
attended  with  great  privations,  fatigue,  exposure, 
and  difficulty,  in  a  few  years  we  shall  think  no 
more  of  going  to  Chicago  than  we  now  think  of 
going  to  Buffalo.  There  will  be  a  line  of  steam- 
boats, stages,  and  railroads  the  entire  distance  from 
Albany  to  the  Fort  at  St.  Louis  on  the  Missis- 
sippi, Chicago  being  an  important  and  command- 
ing point  on  this  great  thoroughfare." 

Charles  Butler  had  come  just  at  the  birth  of  the 
community.  On  Saturday,  the  tenth  of  August, 
a  week  after  his  arrival,  Chicago  became  a  town  by 
vote  of  citizens  and  choice  of  officers.  It  Is  re- 
corded that  twenty-seven  votes  were  given  for,  and 
one  against,  a  town  organization,  almost  all  the 
voting  citizens  being  present.     On  the  morning 


I  J.Z 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


after  his  arrival  he  started  out  with  letters  of  intro- 
duction to  find  the  Rev.  Jeremiah  Porter,  just 
then  come  to  Fort  Dearborn  as  chaplain  of  the 
government  troops  under  Major  Wilcox.  The 
first  man  he  accosted  proved  to  be  the  one  he 
sought.  • 

Mr.  Porter  told  him  that  he  was  on  his  way 
to   bury  a  child,  the  little  daughter  of  Mr.   Ben- 
jamin Jones,  and   begged   his  assistance;  for  the 
needs  of  the   living,  in  pioneer  days,  made  even 
kind  offices  to  the  dead  most  difficult.    In  the  lit- 
tle house  of  mourning  the  small  coffin  of  plain 
boards  was  on  a  table  in  the  middle  of  the  only 
room,  save  two  bedrooms,  in   the   house.      Mr. 
Porter  read  a  passage  out  of  the  Bible  and  prayed. 
The  funeral  service  was  then  over.     It  had  been 
interrupted  by  the  noise  of  the  hammer  of  a  work- 
man who  was  putting  up  a  shanty  for  some  new 
comers.     There  were  no  friends  to  serve  as  bear- 
ers, and  Mr.  Porter  called  in  from  the  shanty  the 
carpenter  in  his  shirt  sleeves  to  assist  in  carrying 
the  little  burden.   Then  the  three  men,  Mr.  Por- 
ter, Mr.  Butler,  and  the  carpenter,  took  up  the 
coffin  ;  followed  by  the  sorrowing  parents,  they 
walked  to  the  river,  crossed  in  the  dug-out  to  the 

143 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

west  side  of  the  north  branch  and  thence  to  a  spot 
where  a  few  burials  had  been  made,  and  there  they 
laid  the  child. 

Shortly  after,  Mr.  Butler  began  with  Mr. 
Porter  to  lay  plans  for  the  religious  life  of  the 
new  town.  The  two  friends  used  to  meet  to 
converse  and  pray  together  in  an  unfinished  loft 
in  the  second  frame  store  built  in  the  town,  kindly 
loaned  by  a  young  merchant  who  had  come  from 
New  York  the  year  before,  Mr.  F.  F.  W.  Peck, 
afterwards  one  of  Chicago's  wealthy  citizens.  This 
little  building,  which  long  stood  on  the  corner  of 
La  Salle  and  South  Water  streets,  was  the  centre 
of  religious  effort.  In  the  loft,  which  served  Mr. 
Porter  as  home  and  study,  a  little  Sunday-school 
was  held,  the  sheets  used  for  partitions  being 
drawn  up,  and  loose  planks  being  laid  on  boxes 
for  seats,  making  it,  as  Mr.  Porter  said,  "  very  con- 
venient." Here  Mr.  Butler  labored  during  his 
stay,  and  on  his  return  he  sent  to  this  school,  in 
connection  with  Mr.  Bronson,  a  library  of  two 
hundred  volumes  of  bound  books,  besides  a  full 
set  of  class,  reading,  question,  hymn  and  record 
books. 

He  encouraged    Mr.    Porter,    also,    in    estab- 

144 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

lishing  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  which  had 
been  organized  six  weeks  before,  with  twenty- 
six  members,  and  laid  plans  for  the  establishment 
here  of  a  Bible,  Tract,  and  Sunday-school  Depos- 
itory, that  a  "  moral  influence  should  be  diffused 
in  the  beginning  to  give  character  to  the  society 
soon  to  grow  up."  It  may  be  of  interest  to  note 
here,  that  less  than  six  months  later,  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  the  fruit  of  these  anxious 
hopes,  was  dedicated  in  this  town  where  at  the  time 
of  Mr.  Butler's  visit  the  occasional  little  evening 
service  was  held  in  a  log  house  with  seats  of  loose 
slabs,  the  smooth  side  turned  up,  and  the  candles 
for  lighting  held  in  the  hands  of  the  worshippers 
while  the  minister  preached.  "  I  well  recollect," 
he  wrote  later,  "  that  the  candles  being  of  poor  tal- 
low, shed  a  very  dim  light.  Still,  we  had  a  good 
time  of  it,  and  all  enjoyed  the  service." 

To  the  mind  of  Charles  Butler  the  future  of 
Chicago  as  a  commercial  centre  was  clear.  In  the 
little  village  of  twenty  houses,  and  the  swamp-lands 
bordering  the  river,  he  saw  the  "  germ  of  a  city 
destined,  from  its  peculiar  position  near  the  head 
of  the  lake,  and  its  remarkable  harbor  formed  by 
the  river,  to  become  the  largest  inland  commercial 

145 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


emporium  in  the  United  States."  His  views  were 
regarded  at  the  time  as  visionary  and  absurd. 
"  Your  character  is  naturally  sanguine,"  wrote  his 
trusted  friend  and  partner,  Mr.  Bowen  Whiting, 
"  and  1  fancy  now  that  the  '  Michigan  fever '  has 
fairly  inflamed  your  brain  ;  and  were  it  not  that 
Mr.  Bronson  partakes  of  your  opinions,  I  should 
think  you  had  written  to  me  under  the  influence 
of  a  most  flattering  dream.  I  am  a  good  deal  in 
the  condition  of  Rip  Van  Winkle  after  reading 
your  letter,  and  am  compelled  to  acknowledge  that 
the  world  has  gone  a  good  way  past  me." 

It  was,  however,  no  flattering  dream,  but  the 
genius  of  prophetic  foresight.  It  was  evident  to 
Charles  Butler  that  the  productions  of  the  vast 
country  lying  west  and  northwest  of  Chicago  would 
necessarily  be  tributary  to  it  on  their  way  to  the 
Eastern  market — the  great  Atlantic  Seaboard. 
His  predictions  concerning  the  means  of  commu- 
nication which  would  soon  be  established  were  even 
more  remarkable  than  his  judgments  concerning 
the  future  of  the  city.  The  United  States  had 
then  very  few  railways,  and  New  York  State  had 
none  except  the  one  in  process  of  construction  be- 
tween Albany  and  Utica.     Steamboats  from  New 

146 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


York  to  Albany,  stages  to  Buffalo,  and  mud-wag- 
ons to  the  west  were  the  means  of  conveyance. 
Yet  before  he  had  returned  from  his  first  brief 
visit  he  wrote  confidently  to  the  Albany  Argus  : 

"  Chicago  is  on  the  great  western  thoroughfare 
of  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and  in  a  few  years 
we  shall  have  a  regular  chain  of  steamboat,  railroad, 
and  stage  communication  from  the  city  of  New 
York  to  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans,  on  this  route. 
The  natural  route  is  a  railroad  from  Albany  to 
Buffalo,  steamboats  from  thence  to  Detroit,  a  rail- 
road across  the  territorv  from  Detroit  to  the  mouth 
of  the  St.  Joseph  River  (about  two  hundred 
miles),  a  steamboat  from  thence  across  the  lake  to 
Chicago,  only  forty-five  miles,  and  a  railroad  from 
Chicago  to  the  Illinois  River,  one  hundred  and  ten 
miles,  where  it  will  meet  steamboats  of  the  largest 
size  from  New  Orleans  and  St.  Louis.  When  this 
route  is  established,  you  may  travel  from  Albany 
to  St.  Louis  in  nine  days^  and  it  will  combine  such 
advantages  of  certainty  and  safety,  comfort  and  ex- 
pedition, to  say  nothing  of  the  great  attraction  of 
the  country  and  places  through  which  it  will  pass, 
that  in  my  opinion  it  will  be  the  great  thorough- 
fare between  the  Atlantic  States  and  the  vallev  of 


147 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

the  Mississippi.  If  this  be  so,  the  interests  of  St. 
Louis,  Chicago,  Detroit,  Buffalo  and  New  York 
are  identical,  and  should  be  so  considered.  I  re- 
gard the  speedy  establishment  of  this  route  as  one 
of  the  most  important  improvements  of  the  day, 
and  as  constituting  one  of  the  strongest  links  in 
that  chain  of  internal  improvements,  which  will 
bind  this  Union  indissolubly  together.  It  will 
bring  all  the  Southwestern  States  in  close  contact 
with  the  Northern,  Middle,  and  Atlantic  States. 
The  Union  is  to  be  preserved,  in  my  opinion,  with 
the  blessing  of  Providence,  by  a  free  intercourse 
between  the  people  of  the  far  South  and  of  the 
West,  and  the  far  East,  and  by  the  diffusion  down 
the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and  over  all 
the  Southwestern  States,  of  the  principles  and  feel- 
ings which  are  common  to  the  people  of  the 
Northern  and  Middle  States." 

The  large-mindedness  of  Charles  Butler  is  as 
evident  in  this  prediction  as  is  his  sagacity.  The 
Mississippi  river  was  at  that  time  regarded  as  the 
natural  boundary  of  the  West,  and  the  United 
States, inits  utmost  possibilities,as  the  region  south 
of  the  lakes  and  east  of  the  Mississippi.  To  weld 
all  this  into  unity,  and  to  make  of  its  inhabitants 

148 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


one  homogeneous  people  was  an  object  much  at 
heart  with  him.  The  possibility  of  successful  com- 
petition between  steamboats  and  railroads  was  not 
foreseen  until  1840;  and  the  nine  days' journey 
from  Albany  to  St.  Louis,  based  on  water-commu- 
nication mainly,  seemed  amazing.  But  the  great 
thoroughfare  has  done  its  work,  and  these  scat- 
tered communities  have  been  united  in  interests. 
The  practical  benefits  which  this  growth  might 
bring  with  it,  were  clear  to  Mr.  Butler  and  Mr. 
Bronson.  They  at  once  undertook  to  invest 
in  lands  on  the  site  of  the  possible  city.  The  pro- 
cess was  slow,  for  titles  were  very  uncertain,  but 
Mr.  Bronson  finally  succeeded  in  purchasing  about 
a  hundred  and  eighty-two  acres  on  the  north  side 
of  the  river — the  half  of  Kinzie's  Addition,  the 
whole  of  Wolcott's  Addition,  and  Block  No.  i  in 
the  town  of  Chicago — for  the  sum  of  twenty  thou- 
sand dollars.  In  this  first  purchase  Mr.  Butler, 
for  lack,  at  the  moment,  of  available  capital, 
took  no  interest;  but  in  May,  183 5, being  able  to 
arrange  with  some  of  his  friends  to  share  the  finan- 
cial burden,  he  purchased  the  same  property  from 
Mr.  Bronson  for  the  sum  of  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars.    Charles  Butler  persuaded  his  broth- 


149 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


er-in-law — Mr.  William  B.  Ogden — to  go  to  Chi- 
cago to  take  charge  of  the  property. 

The  spring  had  been  unusually  wet,  and  on  Mr. 
Ogden's  arrival  his  first  impressions  were  not  at  all 
favorable.  The  property  lay  on  the  north  side  of 
the  river,  an  unbroken  field  covered  with  a  coarse 
growth  of  oak  and  underbrush,  marshy  and  muddy 
from  the  recent  heavy  rains.  Nothing  could  be 
more  unattractive  in  appearance,and  he  could  not 
see  it  as  possessing  any  advantages  to  justify  the 
extraordinary  price  for  which  it  had  been  bought. 
But  Mr.  Ogden  had  gone  there  for  a  purpose,  and 
to  execute  an  important  trust.  A  great  deal  of  work 
had  to  be  done  to  prepare  this  wilderness  for  the 
coming  auction.  It  had  to  be  laid  out  and  opened 
up  by  streets  and  avenues  into  blocks  and  lots,  the 
boundaries  of  which  must  be  carefully  defined, 
maps  and  plans  made,  surveys  perfected  and  land- 
marks established.  To  this  Mr.  Ogden  addressed 
himself  with  energy,  and  brought  to  it  his  extra- 
ordinary ability  in  the  handling  of  all  material 
interests,  so  that  by  the  time  the  auction  sale  ap- 
proached, he  was  ready  to  exhibit  it  in  business 
form.  A  government  sale  of  lands  had  brought 
together  a  large  collection  of  people  from  all  parts 

150 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

of  the  country,  particularly  from  the  east  and  the 
southeast.  The  sales  amounted  to  more  than  a 
hundred  thousand  dolIars,and  included  only  about 
one-third  of  the  property;  but  this  result,  although 
it  did  not  as  yet  fully  establish  his  faith,  went  far 
to  convince  him  of  the  future  of  the  town  which 
was  to  become  the  scene  of  his  after  life,  and  in  the 
development  and  growth  of  which  he  was  to  be- 
come an  active  and  important  factor. 

The  account  of  Mr.  Butler's  first  western  trip 
and  of  its  results  has  been  given  somewhat  .at 
length  partly  because  of  its  general  interest  and 
partly  because  it  illustrates  so  well  his  character, 
and  the  great  services  he  rendered.  He  foresaw 
intuitively  upon  what  lines,  material  and  moral, 
the  development  of  the  country  must  proceed. 
Though  Detroit  and  Niles  and  Michigan  City 
and  other  places  were  urged  upon  his  notice,  he 
thus  early  believed  that  Chicago  would  pass  be- 
yond them  all.  And  not  less  notable  was  his 
tenacity  ;  for  the  early  enthusiasm  of  his  associates 
flagged  ;  they  grew  timid,  and  left  to  him  the  bur- 
den which  brought  its  reward  in  after  years.  To 
the  horror  of  his  associates  he  disinterestedly  pub- 
lished the  news  of  the  western  possibilities  before 

151 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

his  own  purchases  were  completed,  thus  inviting 
competitors,  as  they  feared,  to  his  own  detriment. 
Two  of  the  services  which  he  rendered  to  the 
infant  city  were  of  great  value.  The  first  was  the 
quick  and  eager  interest  which  he  took,  in  con- 
nection with  Mr.  Bronson,  in  projects  for  public 
improvement.  The  most  important  of  those  dis- 
cussed at  the  time  of  his  first  visit  was  the  construc- 
tion of  a  canal  to  connect  Lake  Michigan  at 
Chicago  with  the  Illinois  river  at  Ottawa  or  Peru, 
a  distance  of  about  eighty  or  one  hundred  miles.  A 
grant  had  been  made  by  Congress  to  the  territory 
of  Illinois,  at  an  early  day,  of  each  alternate 
section  of  land  in  aid  of  the  construction  of  such 
a  canal.  New  Orleans  being  regarded  at  this  time 
as  the  principal  market  of  the  valley  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, this  would  secure  to  Chicago  a  western 
outlet.  Mr,  Bronson  and  Mr.  Butler  entered 
enthusiastically  into  this  project,  advising,  however, 
the  construction  of  a  railroad  instead  of  a  canal. 
A  memorial  urging  the  incorporation  of  a  com- 
pany for  building  a  railroad  or  canal  was  carefully 
prepared  by  Mr.  Butler  and  sent  through  a  com- 
mittee to  the  Legislature,  Mr.  Bronson  and  Mr. 
Butler    submitting    proposals     for    financing    the 

152 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

whole  enterprise  if  such  a  company  should  be  in- 
corporated. 

The    application  was    not   successful   the   first 
winter,  and    it  was   found    necessary  to  give  up 
the    plan    for    a    railroad ;    but    at    the     session 
of  1834-35  a  bill  was  passed  authorizing  a  loan 
for   a  canal   as  a  State  work.      It  was  soon  after 
begun  and   though  retarded  by    embarrassments 
which  overtook  the   State    and   for  a  time   pros- 
trated  its   credit,   was   finally   completed  and  re- 
mains to  this  day  a  monument  not  only  to  the  en- 
terprise of  the  State,  but  also   to  its  integrity   in 
paying  its  just  debts.     It  is  hardly  too   much  to 
say  that  the  result  would  have  been  much  longer 
retarded,  if  not  finally  checked,  had  it  not  been 
for  Mr.  Butler's  interest.      For  Illinois  having  un- 
dertaken this   great  system  of  internal  improve- 
ment, and  finding   itself  later  unable  to  meet  its 
obligations,  the  question  what  could  be  done  to 
retrieve  its  credit  became  one  of  vital  importance 
not  only  to  its  citizens,  but  to  all  who  had  any 
interests   in   the   State.      Mr.   Bronson   and    Mr. 
Butler  gave  much  study  to  this  subject  and  finally 
arranged  that  Illinois  should  ask  its  bondholders, 
who  were   chiefly  in    Europe,  to   make  a   further 

»S3 


THE     LIFE      AND     LETTERS 

advance  of  money  sufficient  for  the  completion  of 
the  canal,  for  the  payment  of  which  the  canal,  its 
lands,  and  revenues  should  be  pledged,  backed  by 
the  faith  and  credit  of  the  State,  Upon  this  basis 
the  arrangement  was  finally  made.  Only  a  person 
living  at  that  time  and  fully  understanding  the  situa- 
tion could  rightly  appreciate  the  value  of  the  aid 
given  by  these  two   men  at  this  critical  period. 

Another  service,  indirect  but  of  great  impor- 
tance, Charles  Butler  rendered  to  the  city  in  send- 
ing there  Mr.  William  B.  Ogden,  his  brother-in- 
law.  Mr.  Ogden  was  a  man  of  remarkable  ability 
and  of  broad  and  comprehensive  views.  He  be- 
came the  first  Mayor  of  Chicago  at  its  incorpora- 
tion as  a  city  in  1837,  and  from  that  time  until  his 
death  in  1 877  was  one  of  its  leading  citizens, 
largely  interested  in  the  growth  and  welfare  of  the 
place.  He  was  constantly  engaged  in  public 
works;  he  made  miles  upon  miles  of  streets,  along 
which  he  planted  shade  trees  ;  he  zealously  ad- 
vocated public  parks  ;  he  was  a  leading  contractor 
on  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  and  ever  one 
of  its  ablest  advocates.  He  was  a  pioneer  in  con- 
structing railways,  giving  to  them  services  to  a 
great  extent  gratuitous  and  unselfish.     There  is  to- 

154 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


day  scarcely  a  railroad  leading  to  or  from  Chi- 
cago, east,  west,  north,  or,  south,  with  which  he 
did  not  have  important  association  and  to  which 
he  did  not  render  efficient  service,  so  that  his  acts 
are  written  in  lines  of  steel  all  over  the  west. 

The  visit  to  Chicago  proved  a  turning-point 
in  Charles  Butler's  career.  He  returned,  after  a 
few  weeks'  stay,  to  his  Geneva  home ;  but  he 
never  returned  to  his  Geneva  life.  His  outlook 
had  widened  with  new  experiences  and  his  mind 
was  quick  to  grasp  new  opportunities.  His  in- 
fluence was  at  once  sought  and  obtained  for  great 
enterprises,  such  as  the  "  New  York  and  Erie  Rail- 
road" and  the  "  Utica  and  Schenectady  Railroad." 
To  both  he  rendered  effective  service  ;  the  latter 
he  was  largely  instrumental  in  organizing.  He 
was  again  urged  to  enter  into  politics  and  was  of- 
fered a  nomination  as  State  Senator ;  but  he  de- 
cHned  this,  as  two  years  before  he  had  declined 
to  enter  the  field  of  diplomacy,  when  offered  an 
appointment  as  Secretary  of  Legation  to  England. 

His  special  field  of  usefulness  in  life,  as  the  or- 
ganizer of  great  undertakings,  and  the  trusted 
counsellor  of  men  of  action,  was  becoming  clear. 
His  advice  was  sought  by  statesmen  on  the  great 

155 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

financial  issues  then  under  discussion.  The  char- 
ter of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  was  to  ex- 
pire by  Hmitation  in  1836  and  the  question  of  a 
recharter  was  the  one  memorable  contest  of  An- 
drew Jackson's  administration.  Charles  Butler, 
as  one  acquainted  with  the  needs  of  the  people, 
and  with  fundamental  principles  of  banking  pol- 
icy, was  called  upon  by  Silas  Wright,  then  Senator 
from  New  York,  to  give  testimony.  He  opposed 
the  recharter  of  the  bank,  feeling  that  its  power 
was  too  great  to  be  safe. 

In  place  of  this  bank  of  the  United  States  he 
urged  the  establishment  of  an  "  institution  to  be 
located  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  to  be  known 
as  The  Office  of  Exchange  and  Currency,"  whose 
function  should  be  to  give  stability  to  the 
monetary  system  of  the  country.  The  experience 
of  years  seems  now  to  indicate  that  this  pro- 
posal had  in  it  sterling  wisdom,  and  that  such 
an  institution,  if  then  created,  might  have 
hastened  by  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  establish- 
ment upon  a  firm  footing  of  a  national  currency. 
The  question  has  long  since  become  a  memory,  and 
need  not  here  be  discussed.  What  is  notable,  for 
the   purposes  of  this  memoir,  is  the  remarkable 

156 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

foresight  evinced  by  his  contribution  to  the  dis- 
cussion. 

He  foretold,  as  early  as  February,  1834,  the 
financial  pressure  of  1837  to  1840  with  an  ex- 
actness which  could  not  have  been  greater  had  his 
words  been  written  after  the  event.  "  That  a  very 
severe  pressure,"  he  wrote,"  hitherto  unparalleled 
in  my  knowledge  of  the  country,  is  beginning  to 
be  felt  in  every  part  of  the  country  there  can  be 
no  doubt.  That  this  pressure  will  be  so  severe  as 
to  affect  every  man  in  these  twenty-four  United 
States,  however  remote  his  dwelling  may  be — 
even  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains — who  has 
anything  at  stake  in  the  way  of  business  or  prop- 
erty, is  certain,  and  he  who  doubts  does  not  un- 
derstand the  signs  of  the  times."  That  such  an 
optimist  as  Charles  Butler  should  make  this  pre- 
diction shows  not  only  sagacity  but  courage 
equally  characteristic  of  the  man;  for  he  well  knew 
that  an  admission  of  im.pending  stringency  did 
not  advance  his  cause  as  an  opponent  of  the  bank. 
But  his  frankness  commended,  if  it  did  not  fur- 
ther, his  advocacy.  It  established  his  reputation 
still  more  securely  among  financiers  and  states- 
men as  a  prudent  and  experienced  counsellor. 

157 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

Not  long  after  his  return  from  Chicago  he  un- 
dertook a  second  journey  of  exploration.  The 
commercial  and  financial  needs  of  the  State  of  Ohio 
were  then  pressing,  and  he  made  them  the  sub- 
ject of  careful  study  in  the  interest  of  New  York 
bankers  who  were  anxious  to  develop  these  western 
resources  so  far  as  was  consistent  with  safety.  The 
journey  to  Cincinnati  was  not,  in  1 833,  adventurous 
as  had  been  the  northwestern  trip,  yet  there  were 
in  it  elements  of  hardship  foreign  enough  to  our 
thoughts  to-day.  The  trip  from  Geneva  to  Cin- 
cinnati, by  way  of  Buffalo,  Erie,  Cleveland,  Col- 
umbus, Portsmouth  and  the  Ohio  river,  perhaps 
five  hundred  miles  by  the  route  then  taken — 
now  a  trip  of  a  single  day  at  a  cost  of  about 
ten  dollars — then  required  eleven  days  and  nights 
of  laborious  travelling  by  stage  and  private  convey- 
ance over  frightful  roads  at  a  cost  of  nearly  forty 
dollars  for  stage  fare  alone.  The  entire  journey  oc- 
cupied two  months,  and  extended  eastward  from 
Cincinnati,  through  Wheeling,  Hagerstown,  Fred- 
erick, as  far  as  Baltimore,  Washington  and  eastern 
Virginia  and  thence  northward  through  New  York 
and  Albany.  It  had  certain  incidental  features  of 
interest  to  a   keen   observer.      Mr.   Butler  noted 

158 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 


the  opportunities  of  the  country  and  the  charac- 
teristics of  the  people. 

"  I   have  left,"   he  wrote,  "  the  State  of  Ohio 
with  deep  impressions  of  its   present  and  future 
greatness.     The  capacity  of  its  soil,  the  character 
of    its    population,    its    wonderful    increase,    its 
commercial  and  agricultural  resources,  all  indicate 
that  at  some  future  day   it  must   become    a    star 
of  the    first    magnitude    in    the    galaxy    of   the 
States.     Cincinnati  is    laid    out    very    much  like 
Philadelphia.     Its  location  is  on  a  tableland  about 
one  hundred  feet  above   the  level   of  the  water, 
surrounded  on  all  sides  by  high  hills,  which  form 
a  very  beautiful  landscape.     Good  cheer,  hospi- 
tality and  social  disposition  characterize  the  peo- 
ple, and  you  meet  and  enjoy  them  at  every  step ; 
there  is  a  frankness  of  character,  an  openness,  an 
ingenuousness,  which  is  calculated   to   excite  ad- 
miration   and    secure   confidence.     The    national 
road  from  east  to  west  is  a  great  and  noble  high- 
way ;  the  canals  are  sources  of  revenue  and  wealth; 
the  private  turnpikes  are  unparalleled  for  excel- 
lence ;  the  projected  railroad  will  add  to  the  un- 
bounded prosperity  of  the  State.     Colleges,  high 
schools,  academies  and  common  schools  are  spring- 

159 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


ing  up  in  every  section  and  diffusing  their  rich 
blessings  among  the  people." 

Among  the  minor  incidents  of  interest  on  this 
long  trip  was  the  meteoric  shower  of  November 
thirteenth,  1833,  viewed  from  Brownsville,  Penn- 
sylvania. "  Wednesday  morning  we  were  called 
up  a  little  before  four  o'clock.  My  attention  was 
called  to  the  appearance  of  the  heavens.  There 
was  a  clear  and  cloudless  and  brilliant  sky. 
Stars  were  shooting,  tens  of  thousands  of  them, 
in  rapid  procession,  crossing  each  other's  tracks. 
The  eastern  half  of  the  heavens  seemed  to  be  in 
motion.  This  continued  until  daylight.  The 
drivers  told  me  it  had  commenced  about  two 
o'clock.  Some  of  the  meteors  were  so  large  and 
emitted  so  much  light  as  to  reflect  directly  upon 
the  horses  and  upon  the  road  and  make  every- 
thing light."  "  A  shower  of  fire,"  he  added  later, 
"seemed  to  fall  like  snowflakes  on  the  horses  and 
on  all  around  us." 

The  immediate  fruits  of  this  journey  were  the 
promotion  of  several  enterprises  of  business  im- 
portance such  as  the  "  Cincinnati,  Columbus  and 
Worcester  Turnpike  Company,"  the  "  Columbus 
Insurance  Company,"  and  chief  of  all  the  "Ohio 

160 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


Life  Insurance  and  Trust  Company,"  of  which 
he  was  the  originator,  and  which  was  incor- 
porated by  the  Ohio  legislature  in  the  spring 
of  1834.  Its  secondary  results  were  to  strengthen 
in  his  mind  the  determination  to  leave  Geneva 
and  settle  in  New  York  City.  The  removal  was 
not  made  without  regret,  for  with  all  his  pioneer- 
ing energy  he  loved  a  quiet  home  and  old  asso- 
ciations. On  his  way  back  to  Geneva,  he  had 
stopped  at  Stuyvesant,  and  a  longing  came  to  him 
then  to  return  to  that  early  home.  "  It  never 
looked  so  pleasant  to  me  as  now,"  he  wrote.  "  It 
has  improved  so  much  and  the  country  is  really 
so  beautiful ;  I  am  not  certain  that  there  is  any- 
thing in  the  West  equal  to  it.  Associations  and 
feelings  of  former  days,  of  happiness  unalloyed, 
and  enjoyment  unmodified  by  worldly  schemes, 
tend  to  throw  about  the  place  beauty  and  interest. 

'  Oh  !  give  me  back  my  early  days, 
The  fresh  springs  and  the  bright, 
That  made  the  course  of  childhood's  ways 
A  journey  of  delight.'  " 

In  October,  1834,  he  placed  his  family,  his  fur- 
niture, his  household  goods  and  chattels  on  a  canal 

161 


THE     LIFE      AND     LETTERS 

boat  specially  chartered  for  the  journey  through 
the  canal  and  down  the  Hudson.  The  only  rail- 
road then  in  operation  in  the  State  of  New  York 
was  the  Inclined  Plane  Railway,  as  it  was  called, 
from  Schenectady  to  Albany,  which  had  just  been 
opened.  The  travelers  left  the  boat  to  try  it,  and 
"  a  most  dangerous  bit  of  railway  it  was,  too," 
said  Mr.  Butler  afterwards.  Then  at  Albany  back 
they  went  to  the  canal  boat  and  so  down  the  Hud- 
son to  the  new  home  in  New  York  City. 


CHAPTER  V 

LIFE     IN     NEW     YORK FINANCIAL     STRESS 

LOSS  OF    HEALTH— JOURNEY    TO    EUROPE 

VICTORY    OVER    REPUDIATION    IN 

MICHIGAN TRAVEL    IN    THE 

SOUTH 


A  BUSINESS  location  in  New  York  was 
easily  chosen  in  Wall  Street,  then,  as  now, 
the  centre  of  the  financial  interests  of  the 
city.     The  selection  of  a  house  was  more  difficult, 
for  settling  comfortably  in   New  York  was  not  a 
simple  matter,  even  in  what  seem  to  us  now  the 
«  primitive  days  "  of  the  thirties.      It  was  then  a 
city  of  two   hundred  and  fifty  thousand  people, 
with  its  wholesale  business  interests  clustered  be- 
low the  present  City  Hall  Park,  its  uptown  retail 
shopping  centre  on  Canal  Street,  and  its  fashion- 
able residence  quarters  stretching  indecisively  west- 
ward, eastward,  and  northward,  in  a  manner  most 
disconcerting  to  one  desirous  of  predicting  the  fu- 

163 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

ture.  Mr.  Arthur  Bronson  lived  at  97  East 
Broadway,  between  Market  and  Pike  Streets,  in 
a"  select  locality,  far  from  the  theatre  of  business." 
The  Brick  Presbyterian  Church,  now  at  Thirty- 
seventh  Street  and  Fifth  Avenue,  was  then  on  the 
site  of  the  present  Times  Building  at  Nassau 
Street  and  Park  Row. 

Many  considerations  tended  towards  the  choice 
of  a  downtown  residence.  A  house  on  Green- 
wich Street,  near  the  foot  of  Rector,  a  locality 
not  much  in  favor  now  for  gentlemen's  resi- 
dences, was  for  a  time  considered.  Pioneer  in- 
stincts prevailed,  however,  and  a  life  on  the  fron- 
tier, nearly  as  far  north  as  Washington  Square,  was 
decided  upon.  Expenses  as  compared  with  Geneva 
seemed  enormous.  Board  and  rooms  in  good  lo- 
cation could  not  be  obtained  for  a  family  for  less 
than  thirty  dollars  a  week,  a  ruinous  outlay  for  a 
Geneva  income.  Houses  rented  at  about  six  hun- 
dred dollars  a  year  when  new  and  in  good  situ- 
ations. In  such  a  house,  on  Bleecker  Street,  op- 
posite Depau  Row,  the  family  life  began  in  New 
York.  It  was  saddened  at  the  outset  by  the  loss 
of  the  second  son — Arthur  Bronson  Butler — born 
just  after  the  arrival  in  this  city. 

164 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 


The  law  business  in  New  York  was,  from  the 
first,  successful.     As  counsel  for  several  financial 
institutions,  as  representative  in  the  making  and 
protecting  of  investments  for  many  men  of  prom- 
inence, and  as  an  agent  of  chartered   banks  and 
companies  to  the  westward,  even  as  far  as  the  Mis- 
sissippi, Charles  Butler  rapidly  became  established. 
He  valued  this  worldly  prosperity  largely  as  it 
gave  him  means  for  serving  those  in  need.     Even 
in  his  first  busy  months  in  New  York,  he  was  the 
zealous  advocate  of  the  cause  of  the  insane  poor, 
urging  that  they  should  be  cared  for  by  the  State 
instead  of  by  the  Counties,  drawing  a  bill  for  the 
erection  of  a  State  Insane   Hospital,  and  making 
efforts  for  its  passage  through  the  State   Legisla- 
ture.     He  became  a  founder  and  a  devoted  mem- 
ber of  the  Mercer  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
soon  identified  himself  with  many  local  and  other 
interests.     To  New  York  University  he  gave  a  life 
scholarship,  and  to  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
whose  interests  he  afterwards  served  so  faithfully, 
he  pledged  an  endowment.     To  colleges  in  South 
Carohna,  in  Ohio,  in  Illinois,  he  made  generous 
contributions.     To  Princeton  Theological  Semin- 
ary, then  somewhat  pressed  for  funds,   he  gave 

i6s 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

assistance.  To  help  the  struggHng  missionaries  in 
the  West,  to  further  the  extension  of  the  Ameri- 
can Tract  Society,  to  raise  a  fund  for  the  printing 
of  books  for  the  bhnd,  was  for  him  as  natural  as 
to  aid  his  own  church  and  the  objects  close  about 
him. 

The  first  few  years  of  his  residence  in  New  York 
had  no  marked  vicissitudes.  His  office  and  his 
house  both  escaped  the  great  fire  of  1835.  Busi- 
ness responsibilities  crowded  upon  him.  He  be- 
came president  of  the  great  investment  and  realty 
corporation  known  as  the  American  Land  Com- 
pany, counsel  for  the  Trust  and  Banking  Com- 
pany of  North  America,  and  for  banks  in  Arkan- 
sas, in  Michigan  and  in  Ohio.  The  future  seemed 
to  open  before  him,  serene  in  its  promise  of  a  well 
filled,  placid  life,  secure  in  labors  and  rewards. 

Into  this  clear  sky  of  prosperity  in  1837  came 
clouds  of  disaster.  The  financial  crisis  which  he 
had  foretold  years  before  proved  a  terrible  strain 
to  all  the  interests  he  was  protecting.  Every  bank 
in  New  York  suspended  specie  payments  ;  every 
financial  agreement  was  unsettled  ;  notes  of  men 
of  undoubted  standing  went  to  protest  every  day. 
The  existing    banking  systems  were  for  a  time 

166 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 


completely  overthrown  ;  the  whole  machinery  of 
exchange  broke  down.  Mr.  Butler's  private 
means  were  impaired,  but  what  distressed  him 
most  was  the  prospect  of  sacrifices  for  the  inter- 
ests he  represented,  in  which  his  friends  had  be- 
come involved.  "  I  am  surrounded,"  he  wrote, 
"  with  troubles  and  perplexities  and  cares.  I  see 
no  way  to  relieve  my  friends  from  the  responsi- 
bilities they  have  incurred  for  me.  But  in  humble 
dependence  on  the  Divine  blessing  and  will  I 
shall  endeavor  to  do  my  duty  fearlessly  and  thor- 
oughly, and  to  bear  up  under  the  crosses  and 
losses,  the  trials  and  perplexities,  incident  to  my 
life  here,  without  murmuring  or  complaining." 

In  1838  came  other  trials.  Little  Charles,  the 
youngest  son,  died.  Mrs.  Butler  fell  ill.  As  a 
crowning  stroke  his  own  health,  never  up  to  this 
time  very  vigorous,  utterly  failed.  His  lungs 
were  affected  and  a  sea  voyage  was  prescribed. 
There  was  great  difficulty  in  leaving.  "  What 
will  be  the  consequence  of  my  absence,"  he  wrote, 
"  to  property  and  financial  affairs  cannot  be  pre- 
dicted. It  does  not  seem  possible  to  anticipate 
any  other  result  than  absolute  bankruptcy.  The 
utmost  efforts  have  hitherto  only  so  far  succeeded 

167 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


as  to  keep  along  the  principal  debts  until  the  time 
set  to  return."  Yet  the  journey  had  to  be  under- 
taken, and  with  heavy  hearts  the  husband  and  wife, 
with  their  first  born  and  only  remaining  child,  lit- 
tle Ogden,  and  with  William  Allen,  the  eldest  son 
of  Benjamin  Franklin  Butler,  then  a  boy  of  thir- 
teen, set  sail  on  the  seventh  of  July,  1838.  They 
planned,  though  doubtfully,  to  return  almost  at 
once,  but  were  absent  nearly  a  year  and  came  back 
to  find  little  left  of  their  modest  possessions,  al- 
though efforts  had  been  made  to  avert  such  dis- 
aster by  Mr.  Butler's  brother,  by  his  partner,  Mr. 
Campbell  Bushnell,  and  by  his  friend  William  E. 
Jones,  who  afterwards  married  Mrs.  Butler's  sis- 
ter Caroline. 

Traveling  in  Europe  in  1838  had  pleasures  and 
annoyances  unknown  to  us  of  this  generation.  It 
was  leisurely.  The  voyage  over,  on  the  Liverpool 
packet  ship  Pennsylvania,  took  twenty-one  days, 
and  the  return  on  the  Burgundy,  also  a  sailing 
vessel,  twenty-two.  On  land  the  travel  was  by 
rail  in  some  parts  of  England — eleven  hours 
from  Liverpool  to  London — and  by  post  on  the 
Continent.  Modern  travelers  have  lost  some- 
thing in  the  passing  of  the  post  chaise.      It  was 


168 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

not  economical — twenty-five  cents  a  mile,  besides 
the  cost  of  the  hired  or  purchased  chaise,  being 
the  ordinary  rate — and  it  was  not  speedy — one 
post,  five  miles,  in  forty  minutes  being  the  legal 
speed — but  it  gave  to  the  traveler  a  pleasing 
sense  of  command  over  the  enterprise  of  journey- 
ing and  of  proprietorship  in  the  scenery.  To  the 
sick  man  this  slow  movement  gave  strength.  The 
eager  interest  of  little  Ogden,  then  six  years  old, 
helped  the  recovery.  One  of  the  child's  letters 
to  his  grandfather  at  Stuyvesant  has  in  it  such  a 
note  of  vitality  as  to  be  worth  recording  here  : 
I  am  in  the  great  city  of  London,"  he  wrote, 
just  come  back  from  Belgium  &  Paris.  One 
evening  we  went  out  &  we  saw  the  circus  &  we  paid 
five  francs  &  we  went  in.  There  was  a  clown  all 
dressed  up  &  he  kept  turning  somersets  all  the 
while  over  &  over  &  over  till  he  got  to  the  end, 
the  clown  ran  away  &  in  came  a  little  girl,  dressed 
very  nicely,  &  she  stood  upon  a  horse,  &  she  per- 
formed things  that  I  did  not  see  how  she  could 
do  it.  We  went  into  the  garden  of  the  Tuileries, 
they  have  a  palace  in  them,  there  were  two  gar- 
dens right  before  the  palace  &  they  had  flowers  & 
fountains   &   trees   &  statues  &  I   often  walked 

169 


THE     LIFE     AND      LETTERS 

there,  there  was  a  high  iron  fence  all  around  with 
spear  heads  which  were  gilded  &  made  it  look 
splendid.  We  went  into  the  king's  palace  &  saw 
pictures  &  one  of  them  was  old  Dr.  Benjamin 
Franklin  introduced  to  the  French  King  &  his 
family,  we  saw  a  thousand  soldiers  there  &  they 
used  to  parade  every  day  near  the  palace  &  we 
lived  close  by.  The  King  of  France  ain't  so 
handsome  as  the  Queen  of  England  but  the 
houses  are  handsomer.  We  saw  a  high  monu- 
ment made  of  brass  painted  green  &  up  on  top  of 
it  was  Napoleon,  he  fought  a  great  many  battles 
&  always  conquered,  but  at  last  he  was  conquered 
himself  at  Waterloo.  We  went  to  this  battle- 
field, it  was  in  Belgium,  there  was  a  high  mound 
there,  &  a  Belgic  lion  on  top  of  it  &  a  great 
many  soldiers  were  buried  under  it,  we  walked 
over  the  field  and  picked  up  several  gun  bullets. 
I  have  seen  many  things  here  that  I  never  saw 
in  America,  kings  and  queens  and  castles  and 
abbeys.  I  liked  the  Tower  of  London,  I  saw  the 
ax  that  cut  off  Anne  Boleyn's  head  who  was  a 
queen.  We  have  very  foggy  weather  here  &  to- 
day I  went  to  the  window  &  said  '  see  the  moon, 
see  the  moon,'  but  it  was  the  sun  round  like  the 

170 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

moon  because  the  air  was  so  thick.  I  went  out 
to  take  a  walk  today  &  I  went  down  to  the  place 
where  King  Charles  was  beheaded  at  Whitehall. 
I  amuse  myself  by  playing  ball  with  my  cousin 
Willy  &  playing  king  &  queen.  I  have  read  in 
the  history  of  England  about  the  kings  &  queens 
&  in  the  history  of  France  about  the  kings  & 
queens  of  France  &  in  the  history  of  Scotland  about 
their  kings  &  queens.  I  like  to  read  history  very 
much  &  read  about  what  has  happened.  When  I 
get  home,  grandpa,  I  mean  to  tell  you  all  about 
the  things  I  have  seen  in  every  city  &  country  & 
island  that  I  have  been  in.  I  will  come  &  see  you 
as  soon  as  I  get  home  if  I  don't  get  shipwrecked. 
But  if  I  get  shipwrecked,  then  1  don't  know 
what, — you  must  excuse  me." 

When  in  Paris  it  seemed  advisable  to  consult 
Samuel  Hahnemann,  the  great  German  physician, 
founder  of  Homeopathy,  then  at  the  zenith  of  his 
fame.  Hahnemann  was  eighty-three,  a  fine-look- 
ing man,  of  distinguished  presence.  He  received 
his  patient  with  great  formality,  inquiring  with  the 
utmost  minuteness  into  all  symptoms,  and  in- 
structing his  handsome  French  wife,  who  acted  as 
his  secretary,  to  record  the  answers  with  extreme 

171 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


care.     He  then  assured  his  patient  that  he  would 
consider  the  case,  and  the  consultation  ended  with 
a  formal  leave-taking,  the  patient  having  first,  in 
accordance  with  instructions,  deposited  a  gold  piece 
on  the  mantel.    The  next  visit,  and  the  next,  and 
the  next,  were  like  the  first.     The  expected  pre- 
scription  and  treatment  never  came  ;  but  there 
were  always  the  careful  inquiring  into  symptoms 
the  minute  recording  of  the  answers,  and  the  gold 
piece  on  the  mantel.  At  last  Mr.  Butler  said  that 
he  should  like  to  have  the  physician's  final  advice 
and  prescription,  as  the  time  had   come  when  he 
must  return  to  New  York.      Hahnemann  remon- 
strated that  this  would  be  at  the  risk  of  his  life  ; 
and  when  demands  of  business  were   urged,  he 
rose  in  wrath  and  closed   the  record   book  vio- 
lently, saying  :    "  If  you  care  more  for  your  busi- 
ness than  for  your  health,  more  for  your  money 
than  for  your  life,  I  will  have  nothing  to  do  with 
you. "     What  the   treatment    might  have  been, 
had  the  consultations  continued  long  enough  to 
get  it,  was  never  known. 

Fortunately,  however,  the  seemingly  imperative 
call  to  return  home  was  not  at  once  obeyed.  The 
journey  included  a  little  of  England,  a  brief  stay  in 


172 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

Holland  and  Belgium,  some  weeks  in  Paris,  a  leis- 
urely trip  in  France,  two  months  in  the  minor  Ital- 
ian cities,  and  three  months  in  Rome.  It  gave  op- 
portunities for  seeing  the  monuments  of  the  past 
and  the  great  cities  of  the  Continent.  Yet  it  was 
characteristic  of  Charles  Butler's  mind  that  Eu- 
rope, with  all  its  treasures,  interested  him  chiefly 
as  a  place  in  which  great  men  and  great  women 
had  lived,  or  were  living.  As  little  Ogden  liked 
to  read  about  kings  and  queens,  so  his  father 
cared  for  men  and  women  of  force — kings  and 
queens  in  the  worlds  of  religion,  of  affairs,  of  pol- 
itics. The  letters  speak  of  seeing  Lord  Brougham, 
Viscount  Melbourne  and  the  Duke  of  Welling- 
ton ;  of  spending  an  evening  with  Mr.  Grote,  the 
historian,  and  of  there  meeting  Mr.  Hume,  a 
member  of  Parliament.  In  Geneva  he  was  inter- 
ested in  meeting  Merle  d'Aubigne,  and  among 
others,  in  Rome,  Cardinal  Mezzofanti,  the  famous 
linguist,  who  addressed  him  in  a  language  that  he 
did  not  understand.  Somewhat  taken  aback,  Mr. 
Butler  said  that  he  did  not  speak  Italian,  where- 
upon the  cardinal  replied :  "  Ah  !  I  addressed 
you  in  Cherokee,  but  I  can  speak  English  if  you 
prefer." 

173 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

Republican  and  protestant  as  was  Charles 
Butler,  the  pomp  and  state  of  royalty  in  England 
and  of  the  Roman  Church  in  Italy  aroused  his 
interest,  though  not  his  sympathy.  The  gracious 
young  Queen  Victoria  had  then  just  ascended  the 
throne.  " Yesterday,"  wrote  Mr.  Butler,  "we 
witnessed  the  Prorogation  of  Parliament  by  the 
Queen  in  person,  and  to  us  simple  republicans  it 
was  a  splendid  pageant.  The  Queen  is  very 
popular,  as  indeed  she  may  well  be,  with  the 
people,  being  a  young  and  handsome  girl  of  fine 
spirits  and  liberal  principles.  We  have  seen  her 
many  times  under  favorable  circumstances,  the 
last  time  being  on  Sunday  at  her  chapel,  to  which 
we  were  admitted  by  special  license.  It  seems 
strange  to  us,  all  this  pomp  and  circumstance  and 
finery,  and  we  think  that  our  plain  republican  and 
economical  institutions  are  more  to  be  desired. 
I  hope  the  day  will  never  come  when  we  shall 
have  a  splendid  government  machinery  composed 
of  gold-laced  livery  and  of  empty  pageantry  such 
as  we  have  witnessed  here." 

In  Italy,  Pope  Gregory  XVI.  then  occupied 
the  papal  throne.  The  elaborate  ceremonial  of 
this  office,  like  that  of  the  throne  in  England,  had 

174 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


for  Charles  Butler  the  interest  of  a  study.  He 
witnessed  the  placing  of  St.  Peter's  chair  :  "  The 
Pope  was  brought  in  on  the  shoulders  of  six 
attendants.  He  was  seated,  splendidly  dressed, 
in  a  magnificent  chair,  highly  gilded.  He  was 
carried  to  a  chair  placed  for  him  near  the  head  of 
the  church,  beyond  the  high  altar.  While  thus 
borne  along,  I  observed  that  he  sat  in  a  listless 
manner,  with  his  eyes  closed,  and  his  head  inclin- 
ing to  the  right  shoulder,  and  as  he  passed  he  was 
constantly  making  the  sign  of  the  cross  in  the  air. 
He  was  attended  by  a  splendid  retinue  of  cardi- 
nals, bishops,  high  officers,  temporal  and  spiritual, 
and  priests,  by  a  bodyguard  composed  of  the  nobil- 
ity of  Rome,  and  also  by  a  Swiss  guard.  The  dress 
of  the  cardinals  and  high  ofiicers  and  of  theirattend- 
ants,  the  rich  uniform  of  the  guard  of  nobles,  the  pe- 
culiar costume  of  the  Swiss  guards,  the  gorgeousness 
and  pomp  and  circumstance  of  the  ceremony 
which  succeeded,  the  fine  music,  the  strange  mix- 
ture of  religious  and  military  parade  and  show, 
altogether  presented  one  of  the  most  impressive, 
curious  and  splendid  spectacles  I  ever  witnessed. 
I  could  not  divest  my  mind  of  the  idea  that  the 
ceremony  was  one  of  worldly  splendor,  and  that 

175 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

it  had  no  affinity  to  the  solemnities  and  rites  of 
religion,  and  that  the  object  was  more  to  honor 
the  Pope  than  to  make  known  the  glorious  gospel 
of  the  Son  of  God." 

He  witnessed  also  the  Blessing  of  the  Candles  in 
St.  Peter's  :  "  The  Pope  was  engaged  in  blessing 
the  candles,  by  taking  a  candle  in  his  hand,  and 
giving  it  to  one  of  the  priests.  The  number  blessed 
was  very  great,  probably  a  thousand.  There  was 
an  immense  concourse  of  people,  and  the  magnifi- 
cence of  the  ceremony  greatly  exceeded  that  of  the 
placing  of  the  chair.  The  Pope  and  cardinals  and 
all  the  officers  and  attendants  were  dressed  more 
richly,  and  the  attendance  was  greater.  After  the 
Pope  had  finished  the  blessing  of  the  candles,  a 
procession  was  formed,  the  Pope  was  carried 
in  his  chair  as  on  the  former  occasion  by  four- 
teen persons  dressed  in  red  silk  gowns,  pre- 
ceded by  the  cardinals  and  the  high  officers 
of  state,  and  followed,  also,  by  a  numerous  and 
splendid  retinue  of  bishops,  officers,  and  priests, 
each  of  whom  carried  a  large  wax  candle  which 
was  lighted.  The  procession  passed  around  the 
high  altar,  when  the  Pope  resumed  his  seat,  and 
the  candles  were  extinguished.    The  celebration  of 

176 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

mass  then  followed  in  which  the  Pope  performed 
part. 

On  Ash  Wednesday  came  a  great  ceremony  in 
the  Sistine  Chapel  in  the  Vatican :  "  First  the 
Pope  took  off  his  cap  and  his  head  was  sprinkled 
with  ashes  by  one  of  the  cardinals ;  then  in  order 
they  approached,  presented  their  heads  to  be 
sprinkled,  and  he  upon  them  all  in  turn  per- 
formed this  act  of  humility."  A  letter  of  later 
date  described  a  Consistory  :  "  To-day  we  went 
to  the  Vatican  to  witness  the  ceremony  of  the 
Pope's  conferring  the  cardinal's  hat  upon  two  new 
cardinals.  The  ceremony  took  place  in  one  of 
the  galleries  of  the  Vatican  near  the  Sistine  Chapel. 
There  was  a  crowd  of  people.  Shortly  after  our 
arrival,  the  Pope  entered  from  the  opposite  end, 
dressed  in  rich  crimson  robes  with  his  pontifical 
hat,  and  took  his  chair  upon  the  platform.  The 
cardinals  and  attendants,  as  usual,  were  in  rich 
robes.  Presently  the  two  cardinals-elect  entered, 
advanced  to  the  Pope,  kneeled  down,  kissed  his 
feet  and  retired.  Shortly  after  they  advanced  sep- 
arately, and  kneeled  down  before  the  Pope  when 
he  placed  the  hat  upon  the  new  cardinal's  head, 
accompanying  the  action  with  remarks  which  we 

177 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

could  not  hear.  The  hat  was  then  removed,  and 
the  cardinal  rose,  kissed  the  Pope,  and  retired. 
He  then  passed  along  to  the  cardinals,  and  sa- 
luted each  one  with  a  kiss.  After  this  the  choir 
commenced  singing  the  Te  Deum,  and  a  proces- 
sion was  formed  into  the  Sistine  Chapel.  Here 
the  Te  Deum  was  sung  with  great  power,  and  then 
the  two  new  cardinals  took  a  place  at  the  door, 
and  the  old  cardinals  on  passing  out  kissed  them. 
This  was  a  very  interesting  part  of  the  ceremony, 
and  it  was  pleasing  to  see." 

Just  before  Easter  came  the  ceremony  of 
the  washing  and  the  feeding  of  the  pilgrims : 
"  We  went  about  seven  o'clock  and  found  a  large 
collection  of  pilgrims  in  the  Chapel.  Some  priests 
seated  at  a  table  were  receiving  and  examining 
their  credentials  and  giving  them  certificates  as 
they  passed.  The  pilgrims  who  had  just  arrived 
after  being  duly  received  were  taken  into  the 
bathing  room,  where  they  were  seated  on  a  bench 
placed  against  the  wall  around  the  room,  and  a 
cup  of  water  was  provided  for  each  one.  Then 
commenced  the  operation  of  washing  their  feet. 
There  were  thirty  of  the  pilgrims,  of  different  ages 
and  countries,  all  of  them  very  miserable,  dirty- 

178 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

looking  fellows.  Among  the  persons  who  per- 
formed the  task  of  cleansing  them  were  cardinals, 
priests,  princes,  and  gentlemen  of  the  first  respec- 
tability. Lord  Clifford,  an  English  nobleman, 
was  particularly"  active  in  the  duty,  and  so  was  Dr. 
Wiseman,  an  eminent  and  learned  Catholic  priest 
and  head  of  the  English  College.  The  washing 
was  thoroughly  done,  after  which  the  pilgrims 
were  taken  into  the  supper  room,  where  they  were 
joined  by  some  two  hundred  who  had  been  previ- 
ously received,  and  were  supplied  with  an  abun- 
dant supper.  They  were  waited  on  by  the  nobility 
and  gentry,  who  seemed  to  be  particular  in  their 
attentions  to  their  guests.  After  supper  they 
were  put  to  bed  by  their  servants.  The  same 
offices  were  rendered  by  ladies  of  the  highest 
respectability  to  female  pilgrims  in  another  apart- 
ment." 

Finally,  at  Easter,  a  great  celebration  of  Mass 
by  the  Pope  in  St.  Peter's,  the  veneration  of  the 
relics  by  the  Pope  and  cardinals,  and  the  bene- 
diction in  front  of  the  Church  closed  this  series  of 
impressive  ceremonies.  There  were  other  things 
In  lighter  vein  in  Rome,  such  as  the  Soiree  at  the 
Duchessa  Torlonia's.      "  We  went  at  about  half- 

179 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

past  nine  and  reached  the  house  by  ten.  The 
rooms  were  crowded,  and  I  should  think  there  were 
at  least  a  thousand  persons  there.  In  the  large 
Salon  an  opera  was  performed  ;  in  another  room 
there  was  dancing  ;  in  another  room  card  parties. 
The  cardinals  and  priests  were  among  the  principal 
actors  at  the  card  tables.  At  one  table  playing 
with  three  gentlemen  was  the  Princess  of  Denmark, 
a  large,  stout  lady.  The  young  Prince  of  Russia,* 
a  youth  of  twenty  years  or  thereabouts,  son  of 
the  Emperor  Nicholas,  was  there.  The  company 
was  fashionable,  sprinkled  with  stars  and  ribbons 
and  coronets." 

Such  were  some  of  the  scenes  which  were  of 
interest  to  the  traveller,  as  an  observer  of  this 
older  civilization.  As  a  whole,  the  phenomena  of 
power  and  majesty  most  impressed  his  mind  and 
aroused  his  criticism.  All  these  phenomena  were 
summed  up  for  him  in  St.  Peter's,  that  marvellous 
edifice  whose  grandeur  never  failed  to  impress  his 
imagination,  whose  dominance  never  failed  to  sug- 
gest a  questioning  apprehension  of  the  spiritual 
power  which  it  symbolized. 

George  Washington  Greene  was  at  this  time 

*  Afterwards  the  Emperor  Alexander  II. 

i8o 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

American  Consul  at  Rome.  He  was  a  grandson 
of  Gen.  Nathaniel  Greene  of  Revolutionary  fame, 
and  was  an  accomplished  historical  and  classical 
scholar.  His  guidance  added  great  interest  to 
sight-seeing  and  to  the  study  of  the  antiquities. 
The  friendship  formed  with  him  was  continued 
during  the  remaining  years  of  Professor  Greene's 
life  and  extended  to  the  members  of  his  family. 
Other  scholarly  Americans  were  visitors  at  Rome 
during  this  winter  of  1838-39,  and  Mr.  Butler 
always  retained  a  lively  recollection  of  a  visit  to 
the  Forum  with  a  group  of  Bostonians.  Among 
them  was  Dr.  Charles  Lowell,  the  father  of  James 
Russell  Lowell,  who,  standing  on  that  historic 
spot,  declaimed  one  of  Cicero's  orations  against 
Cataline. 

For  one  member  of  the  party  the  lengthening 
of  the  stay  beyond  the  time  originally  set  resulted 
in  an  unlooked  for  experience.  In  the  autumn  it 
was  decided  to  send  William  Allen  Butler  home 
after  his  little  vacation.  He  was  placed  under 
the  care  of  John  Van  Buren,  son  of  President 
Martin  Van  Buren,  his  father's  former  partner  at 
Albany.  They  embarked  at  Liverpool,  on  the 
steamer  of  the  same  name,  and  came  near  to  real- 

181 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

izing  the  "  don't  know  what "  of  little  Ogden's 
shipwreck.  The  steamer  battled  with  persistent 
and  violent  head-winds  for  ten  days,  until  its  sup- 
ply of  coal  ran  short.  Then  the  captain  turned 
the  Liver-pool  about  and  ran  for  a  harbor  of  safety, 
which  he  found  at  Cork.  The  danger  over,  this 
change  of  plan  was  of  advantage  to  the  youth, 
since  it  gave  him  the  opportunity  to  travel  with  Mr. 
Van  Buren  in  Ireland,  and  to  spend  some  time 
with  him  in  London.  Finally  he  rejoined  his  uncle 
Charles  in  Paris  and  went  with  him  to  Italy,  re- 
maining with  him  until  he  returned  to  New  York. 

The  journey  ended  in  the  summer  of  1839. 
Charles  Butler  came  back  with  improved  health, 
though  few  of  his  friends  would  then  have  pre- 
dicted for  him  sixty  years  more  of  vigorous  and 
active  life.  He  immediately  took  in  hand  the 
readjustment  of  his  own  affairs  and,  with  the  help 
of  his  partner  and  friends,  slowly  re-established 
the  various  interests  which  had  been  imperilled 
during  the  financial  storm. 

In  1843  h^  '^^s  called  upon  to  undertake  that 
great  work  in  defense  of  State  credit  for  which  his 
name  should  be  held  in  lasting  honor.  This 
public  service  was  a  contest  waged  in   Michigan 

i8a 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

and  Indiana  against  tlie  great  peril  of  repudiation 
which  then  threatened.  It  is  too  much  to  say 
that  to  Charles  Butler  alone  were  due  the  estab- 
lishment of  State  responsibility  for  bond  issues 
and  the  creation  of  that  sentiment  which  makes 
the  maintenance  of  State  credit  a  matter  of  honor 
to  every  right-minded  citizen.  Yet  it  is  but  just- 
ice to  record  that  he  was  their  early,  zealous  and 
successful  public  advocate ;  that  it  was  his  wise 
counsel  that  led  sovereign  States  to  pledge  them- 
selves in  defense  of  financial  honor ;  and  that 
the  fight  he  waged  in  the  years  between  1 843  and 
1853  won  a  victory  for  State  honesty.  To  us 
now  resting  in  the  certainty  of  an  established  fin- 
ancial method,  and  of  a  firm  and  universal  bank- 
ing system,  it  seems  strange  that  such  a  fight 
should  ever  have  been  necessary.  In  settled 
security  one  easily  forgets  the  struggles  of  pioneer 
years.  It  was  not  a  contest  against  intentional 
dishonesty  merely  that  Mr.  Butler  waged.  His 
work  was  creative  as  well  as  corrective.  He  la- 
bored to  urge  legislatures  not  only  to  fulfill  ex- 
isting financial  laws,  or  recognized  obligations, 
but  also  to  originate  such  a  body  of  financial  law 
as  would  of  itself  compel  assent  and  obedience. 

183 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

In  1840  the  problems  of  State  indebtedness 
were  complicated  by  two  conditions.  The  first 
of  these  was  the  lack  of  any  general  system  of 
banking  which  could  give  opportunity  for  secure 
deposit  of  funds  and  for  convenient  exchange. 
The  United  States  Bank  had  been  abolished  and 
nothing  in  its  place  had  been  devised.  There 
were  few  recognized  and  stable  financial  institu- 
tions anywhere  in  the  country.  Wild  cat  banks 
in  the  remoter  cities  and  towns — forced  to  be 
"  wildcat "  banks  because  domesticated  institu- 
tions, to  follow  out  the  figure,  had  no  recognized 
position  by  a  well-ordered  financial  hearth-stone 
— issued  "  money,"  good  only  in  the  county, 
sometimes  only  in  the  town  of  its  issuance.  Even 
in  the  larger  cities  of  the  newer  States  business  in- 
stitutions were  unstable.  In  the  absence  of  a 
general  system  each  State  established  a  method  of 
its  own  and  gave  privileges  far  beyond  the  bounds 
of  prudence.  Great  disasters,  such  as  the  failure 
of  the  Planters'  Bank  in  Mississippi,  were  a  nat- 
ural consequence,  and  universal  distrust  followed. 
When  therefore  the  newer  States  needed  money, 
there  was  no  machinery  for  supplying  it  from  the 
more  settled  regions.     Hence  sprang  up  all  sorts 

184 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


of  private  devices  for  deposit  and  transference  of 
funds,  based  upon  no  uniform  plan,  wasteful  and 
insecure  in  operation.  As  a  result,  in  the  process 
of  borrowing,  the  western  States  paid  enormous 
commissions.  They  could  ill  afford  to  lose  these 
large  sums  of  money  and  were  but  slightly  inclined 
to  repayment  when  they  recalled  the  hardship  of 
the  borrowing  conditions. 

The  second  difficulty  to  be  overcome  was  the 
lack  of  a  settled  principle  of  State  responsibility 
for  debts.  The  whole  matter  of  State  indebted- 
ness was  then  a  new  problem.  Prior  to  1820 
State  debts  were  hardly  known  in  this  country.  In 
1830  only  six  States  * — New  York,  Pennsylvania, 
Maryland,  Virginia,  South  Carolina  and  Ohio — 
had  any  indebtedness  represented  by  stocks  and 
bonds,  and  these  States  had  issued  certificates 
representing  only  thirteen  miUions  of  dollars.  In 
1840  nineteen  States  and  Territories  f  out  of 
twenty-six  had  contracted  debts  which  amounted 
to  nearly  two  hundred  millions  of  dollars.     This 

*  Debts  and  Stocks  of  the  se'veral  States.  Compiled  by  A.  C. 
Flagg,  Esq.,  Comptroller  of  the  State  of  New  York,  in  American 
Almanac,  1840,  p.  103. 

f  State  Debts,  C.  F.  Adams,  in  North  American  Re-uieiu,  1 840, 
p.   316. 

185 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


enormous  burden — for  the  entire  population  of  the 
United  States  in  1840  was  but  seventeen  milHons 
— necessitated  the  creation  of  a  sound  sentiment 
as  to  State  responsibiHty  and  in  some  States  the 
establishment  also  of  a  body  of  financial  laws 
adapted  to  these  new  conditions.  A  sovereign 
State  could  not  be  sued  like  an  individual  ;  and  it 
was  a  slow  process,  first,  to  educate  its  citizens  to 
a  sense  of  the  responsibility  devolving  upon  them 
in  consequence  of  this  exemption,  and,  second,  to 
lead  them  to  embody  this  sense  of  responsibility 
in  legislative  enactments.  To  bring  the  legislatures 
of  the  newer  States  to  understand  this  obligation, 
an  apostle  was  needed  to  preach  a  gospel  of  fi- 
nancial honor. 

Such  an  apostle  was  Charles  Butler.  Certain 
Western  States  were  in  a  difficult  situation.  Eager 
to  build  up  their  cities  and  towns,  and  stimulated 
by  the  distribution  among  them,  under  President 
Jackson,  of  the  surplus  moneys  of  the  United 
States,  *  they  had  undertaken  vast  systems  of  in- 


*  The  law  authorizing  this  apportionment  was  passed  June  23, 
1834,  and  the  actual  distribution  was  completed  January  i,  1837. 
The  amount  divided  among  the  States  was  $37)^^^}^59'97' — 
American  Almanac,  1838,  p.   133. 


186 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

ternal  improvements.  In  many  cases  these  had 
cost  more  than  had  been  anticipated  and  more 
than  new  States  could  then  afford.  The  half- 
completed  improvements,  though  full  of  promise, 
brought  very  little  income,  and  the  interest  on  the 
bonds  was  a  terrible  burden.  The  people  felt, 
too,  that  they  had  just  cause  of  grievance.  Their 
bonds  had  been  sold  at  a  discount ;  they  had  been 
cheated,  as  they  thought,  in  getting  the  money ; 
they  were  ready  to  let  the  bondholders  take  the 
improvements  from  which  the  State  had  received 
so  little  benefit,  and  to  quit  themselves  of  the 
responsibility.  This  we  now  call  Repudiation  ;  * 
the  word,  as  well  as  the  fact,  is  left  to  us  as  a 
legacy  from  those  years  of  trial.  Yet  among 
the  legislators  at  that  time  few  were  intentionally 
dishonest.  They  were  inexperienced  in  financial 
matters  of  magnitude,  rather  than  defrauders.  In 
most  of  the  States,  when  once  a  plan  for  the  es- 

*  <*  The  word  Repudiation,  in  the  sense  in  which  it  is  now  com- 
monly used,  was  first  adopted  in  the  State  of  Mississippi.  It  occurred 
for  the  first  time,  we  believe,  in  the  message  of  the  Governor  of 
that  State,  in  January,  1841,  in  which  he  adverts  to  the  plan  of 
repudiating  the  sale  of  certain  of  the  State  bonds,  on  account  of 
fraud  and  illegality."  Debts  of  the  States,  by  Benjamin  R.  Curtis 
(afterward  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court),  in  North  American  Re- 
•vieiv,  January,  1844,  p.    130. 

187 


IHE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

tablishment  of  State  credit  had  been  perfected, 
honor  triumphed. 

For  this  mission  Charles  Butler  had  the  ad- 
vantage of  special  fitness  and  of  special  training. 
His  mind  was  naturally  constructive.  He  was 
always  ready  to  consider  new  conditions  and  to 
frame  new  plans.  He  trusted  men,  and  he 
labored,  therefore,  not  so  much  to  persuade  them 
to  a  course  of  action  as  to  explain  fully  the  occa- 
sions for  action.  To  this  habit  of  mind  he  added 
candor,  sincerity  and  suavity.  Quite  as  important 
as  his  special  fitness  was  his  special  equipment. 
From  the  time,  twenty  years  before,  when,  as 
clerk  in  the  Albany  law  office,  he  had  acted  as 
messenger  for  the  little  bank  at  Sandy  Hill  and 
sent  the  kegs  of  specie  to  and  fro  in  haste  to  stop 
the  "  runs,"  through  the  years  at  Geneva,  where 
he  had  been  connected  with  the  largest  financial 
interests  of  that  section,  to  his  later  days  of  greater 
responsibility,  he  had  been  a  student  of  financial 
questions.  It  was  a  fortunate  day  when  the  logic 
of  selection  picked  him  out  for  this  special  ser- 
vice. 

Michigan,  the  youngest  of  the  States  which  had 
been  created,  had  become  disabled  by  the  organ- 
ise 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

ization  of  too  expensive  a  system  of  internal  im- 
provements in  the  construction  of  railways.  The 
plan  was  to  construct  three  parallel  lines  across 
the  peninsula.  These  were  called  "  the  North- 
ern," from  the  foot  of  Lake  Huron  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Grand  River  on  Lake  Michigan ;  "  the 
Central,"  from  Detroit  to  St.  Joseph,  and  "  the 
Southern,"  from  Munroe,  at  the  head  of  Lake 
Erie,  to  New  Buffalo  on  Lake  Michigan.  For 
the  construction  of  the  Central  and  the  Southern, 
the  State  had  issued  bonds  to  the  amount  of  five 
million  dollars.  A  million  and  a  half  dollars' 
worth  of  these  bonds  had  been  sold  to  bankers 
and  capitalists  at  par,  and  for  this  portion  the 
State  had  received  its  money.  The  remainder, 
two-thirds  of  the  whole  issue,  had  been  sold  to  the 
Morris  Canal  and  Banking  Company  of  New 
Jersey  on  credit,  payable  in  instalments,  as  the 
money  should  be  required  by  the  State  to  meet 
the  expenses  of  the  railway  construction.  A  few 
instalments  had  been  paid,  and  a  portion  of  the 
Central  and  Southern  lines  had  been  completed, 
when  the  Morris  Canal  and  Banking  Company 
failed.  It  had  sold  its  bonds  to  the  United  States 
Bank,  which,  to  sustain   its   then   waning  credit, 

189 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

had  given  them  over  to   bankers  of  Europe   and 
had  obtained  large  advances  upon  them  as  security. 
Then  the  United  States  Bank  failed  also.  The  State 
of  Michigan  was  left  with  a  debt  of  five   million 
dollars  in   bonds,  with   interest,  due  to   innocent 
holders,  for  which  bonds  it  had  received  very  little 
money,  and  through  which  it  had  obtained  only 
half  completed  works  producing  no  revenue.   The 
State  was  poor,  and  it  defaulted  on  the  interest  of 
its  bonds.     It  seemed  to  the  people  of  Michigan 
a  condition  of  excessive   hardship.      They  were 
willing    to    turn    over    to   the     bondholders    the 
improvements    for    which    the    bonds   had    been 
issued,    but    they    had    not    yet    come    to     feel 
the  full    obligations   of  the  commonwealth.     On 
the  other  hand,  until  these  late  years  of  financial 
trial,  no  State  had  failed  to  meet  its   obligations  ; 
and  as  Michigan  was  not  the  only  one  thus  em- 
barrassed, it  seemed  to  those  concerned  that  the 
time  had  come  for  a  determined  effort  to  re-estab- 
lish State  responsibility. 

Thus  it  came  about  that  in  January,  1843, 
Charles  Butler  went  to  Detroit  to  represent  the 
interests  of  the  bondholders  to  the  Legislature  at 
Michigan.      It  had  been  a  severe  season  and  tra- 

190 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


veiling  to  Michigan  in  winter  was  no  holiday 
pastime. 

"I  have  no  heart  for  this  journey,"  he  wrote 
to  his  wife,  just  after  starting,  "  though  I  have 
entered  upon  it.  I  do  not  think  even  the  ad- 
vantage to  my  brother  will  compensate  for  it. 
It  may  even  make  things  worse  and  protract 
settlements.  But  I  shall  go."  In  great  part  this 
decision  was  due  to  his  anxiety  to  relieve  his 
brother  who  had  come  to  his  assistance  in  the 
years  of  stress,  and  was  liable  for  endorsements 
to  what  was,  for  those  days,  a  troublesome  amount. 
The  Farmers'  Loan  &  Trust  Company  by  whom 
these  endorsements  might  be  forced,  also  held 
Michigan  bonds,  and  urged  Charles  Butler  to  go 
as  mediator.  For  himself  he  made  no  bargain 
for  compensation,  but  went  to  the  legislature  as  a 
free  man,  seeking  only  justice. 

"  I  ask  myself,"  he  wrote,  "  what  is  to  be 
gained  by  all  this  journeying  through  the  snow 
and  the  perils  of  winter,  this  loss  of  the  comforts, 
privileges  and  blessings  of  home,  this  separation 
for  so  long  a  time  from  wife  and  dear  children, 
when  at  best  we  have  so  short  a  time  to  live  to- 
gether.     Let  us  make  it  a  point  to  pray  for  each 

191 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

other  daily,  as  we  ought,  and  especially  on  Sunday 
evening  to  pray  for  each  other  and  our  children. 
And  I  would  like  to  have  you  go  on  with  the 
New  Testament  with  me  in  course,  reading  a 
chapter  every  evening  before  going  to  bed,  com- 
mencing this  Sunday  evening,  January  8th,  with 
the  fourth  chapter  of  Acts.  Thus  we  can  keep 
up  communion  with  each  other.  Ogden  and 
Emily  are  never  out  of  my  mind.  Kiss  Ogden 
for  me,  and  be  sure  to  kiss  dear  little  Emily  a 
good  sweet  kiss  right  on  her  right  cheek  for  me. 
Good-night,  dear  wife  and  children.  May  Holy 
Angels  guard  your  bed." 

It  will  be  a  shock  to  some  New  Yorkers  to  be 
told  that  in  1 843  the  proper  way  to  go  from  New 
York  to  Albany  and  the  West,  in  the  winter,  was 
by  way  of  Boston.  One  could  go  up  the  North 
River  in  summer,  but  the  Hudson  River  Railroad 
had  not  yet  been  carried  through.  One  could, 
indeed,  go  by  boat  to  Bridgeport  on  Long  Island 
Sound — fifty-five  miles  in  six  hours  ;  thence  by  the 
new  Housatonic  Railroad  to  West  Stockbrldge — 
ninety  miles  in  seven  hours  ;  thence  to  Albany. 
Charles  Butler  first  tried  this  route,  but  break- 
downs and  detentions  stranded  him  at  Bridgeport. 

192 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

So  he  spent  the  Sunday  quietly  there  and  then 
came  back  to  New  York  and  started  again,  taking 
the  boat  meekly  for  Boston,  about  twenty-four 
hours'  journey,  and  thence  going  to  Albany  by 
rail.  Beyond  Albany  it  was  rail  to  Rochester ; 
then  to  Niagara  by  stage ;  then  across  the  river 
on  the  ice,  and  so  on  by  stage  and  cart  through 
Canada  to  Detroit.  Writing  to  little  Ogden  he 
told  the  story  in  light-hearted  fashion  : 

"  On  the  way  to  Detroit  I  rode  nearly  two  hun- 
dred miles  in  an  open  wagon  night  and  day  ;  and 
the  last  night  we  were  out  our  wagon  broke  down 
about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  we  had  to 
walk  a  long  way  through  a  dreary  country  to  a 
miserable  log-house  tavern  of  one  room.  There 
we  had  to  wait  till  daylight  and  then  take  a  dirt 
cart  to  go  into  Detroit.  The  driver  put  on  two 
horses  tandem  before  the  cart  and  took  me  and 
another  passenger  with  our  luggage  which  just 
filled  it  up,  and  we  started  on.  The  road  was 
very  rough  and  had  during  the  night  frozen  hard 
and  the  horses  were  very  restless,  not  liking  to 
draw  such  a  strange  kind  of  vehicle  ;  so  we  '  rode 
in  random,'  as  the  driver  said,  fast  as  the  horses 
could  go,  and  the  cart  jumped  about  like  a  parched 

193 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

pea  ;  and  I  expected  every  moment  to  be  tipped 
out ;  and  I  thought  I  should  die  from  the  shak- 
ing and  the  laughing  ;  and  my  fellow-traveller, 
poor  man,  a  Mr.  Doughty,  was  almost  killed  by 
it;  and  the  people  stared  and  laughed  when  they 
saw  us  driving  along  in  such  style  and  at  such  a 
rate.  But  we  got  through  safely  and  for  that  I  am 
thankful, though  I  cannot  help  but  feel  home-sick." 
These  were  perils  for  a  man  not  in  robust 
health  :  but  they  were  soon  forgotten  in  the  inter- 
est of  the  business  for  which  he  had  come.  He 
had  a  creative  work  in  finance  as  well  as  a  persua- 
sive work  in  morals  to  accomplish.  He  came  to 
Michigan  prepared  to  urge  the  consideration  of  a 
problem  which  he  was  willing  to  believe  was  one 
that,  as  Mr.  Schoolcraft  said  to  him,  "  they  had 
rather  failed  to  solve  than  wished  to  evade."  The 
State  had  legally  issued  these  five  millions  of 
bonds  for  which  it  had  received  less  than  three 
millions  of  dollars,  and  to  represent  which  it  had 
now  only  unfinished  railway  lines  producing  no 
income.  The  entire  valuation  of  the  State  of 
Michigan  in  1843  was  ^27,696,940.00,  so  that 
this  debt,  if  paid  in  full,  would  require  nearly 
one-fifth  of  the  whole  wealth  of  the  State.     The 

194 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 

yearly  taxation  for  State,  county  and  township 
purposes  was  $427,310.00,  to  which  the  interest 
on  these  bonds,  if  paid  in  full,  would  add 
1300,000.00,  making  in  all  an  intolerable  bur- 
den. 

At  this  time  the  new  State  of  Michigan  was  in  a 
wild  condition,  most  of  it  covered  with  dense  for- 
ests requiring  excessive  labor  to  subdue  it  for  pro- 
ductive use.  The  early  settlers  here,  as  in  other  new 
regions,  came  into  it  without  capital,  depending 
upon  health  and  strength  to  make  homes  for  them- 
selves. From  their  scanty  means  they  had  to  make 
all  local  improvements,  and  they  had  very  little 
money  to  spare  for  the  general  purposes  of  the 
commonwealth.  They  had  never  expected  to 
assume  this  State  burden,  for  the  railroads,  it  had 
been  supposed,  would  pay  at  once  the  interest,  and, 
in  time,  the  principal  of  the  bonds.  "  Now  they 
were  confronted,"  to  quote  again  the  words  of 
Mr.  Schoolcraft,  "rather  with  the  labor  of  Ixion 
than  Sisyphus.  It  is  the  labor  of  a  fixed  and  not 
of  a  changing  position."  It  is  not  strange  that 
the  easy  remedy  of  Repudiation  seemed  to  them, 
as  it  had  seemed  to  the  people  of  Mississippi,  the 
only  way  of  escape. 

195 


THE     LIFE      AND     LETTERS 

Mr.  Butler  wrote  daily  to  his  wife,  keeping  her 
minutely  informed  of  the  progress  of  his  business. 
The  letters  present  the  man  and  the  struggle  most 
graphically. 

Detroit,  January  28,  1843. 

"Yesterday  and  to-day  have  been  very,  very 
busy  days.  It  is  a  regular  campaign.  The  au- 
thorities from  the  Governor  down  have  received 
me  with  the  greatest  cordiality.  I  arrived  here 
in  the  very  nick  of  time,  neither  too  early  nor  too 
late,  and  they  all  say  it  will  do  good.  I  will  not 
be  too  sanguine,  for  there  are  many  difficulties  in 
the  way,  which  no  one  can  understand  or  appre- 
ciate who  is  not  on  the  spot.  On  Monday  morn- 
ing I  am  to  meet  committees  of  the  Legislature. 
This  morning  I  had  a  long,  uninterrupted  confer- 
ence with  the  Governor  and  went  over  the  whole 
ground.  Yesterday  I  conferred  with  no  less  than 
twenty  persons  on  the  subject.  Talking  is  my 
special  business,  and  of  that  I  shall  have  a  great 
deal  to  do." 

Detroit,  Saturday  evening,  4th  February,  1843. 

"  I    shall   send  you  next  week  my  message  to 

the  Governor  and  the  two  houses  of  Legislature, 

196 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 

and  you  will  then  see  how  I  stand  and  what 
ground  I  have  taken.  It  has  excited  a  great  deal 
of  interest,  and  I  bid  fair  to  be  quite  a  lion,  or 
rather  a  stripling,  bearding  the  lion  in  his  den.  It 
is  queer  business  all  round,  for  a  Legislature  here 
is  a  queer  body,  and  they  have  queer  notions  of 
matters  and  things.  I  entertain  strong  hopes  of 
success,  but  cannot  possibly  predict  what  the  re- 
sult will  be.  I  find  many  old  friends  among  the 
members  of  the  Legislature.  I  have  really  laid 
myself  out  to  bring  about  something,  and  they 
give  me  credit  for  urging  sound  doctrine  and  in- 
sisting on  reasonable  terms.  Still,  the  idea  of  any 
one  coming  here  and  insisting  on  Michigan  ful- 
filling her  obligations  is  monstrous  in  the  estima- 
tion of  some  ;  it  involves  the  honor  and  dignity 
of  a  sovereign  State  !  My  communication  was 
read  in  the  Senate  with  profound  attention,  and  an 
extra  number  of  copies  ordered  to  be  printed 
unanimously.  In  the  afternoon,  however,  they 
reconsidered,  and,  by  a  majority  of  one,  decided 
not  to  print.  The  main  argument  was  that  they 
did  not  want  it  to  go  to  the  people  without  an 
antidote.  The  legislature  is  a  very  impulsive 
body,  and  no  reliance  can   be  placed  on   a  large 

197 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

majority.  I  shall  have  to  see  every  man,  and  to 
omit  one  may  lose  the  bill.  Mr.  Taylor  and  Mr. 
Farnsworth,  my  coadjutors,  keep  entirely  in  the 
background  and  are  not  known  at  all  in  the 
premises.  I,  coming  all  the  way  from  New  York, 
through  the  mud,  on  purpose^  can  say  and  do 
things  which  no  one  here  would  dare  to  say  and 
do  without  being  charged  with  treason.  It  is  now 
precisely  twelve  o'clock  at  night,  and  I  will  lay 
aside  all  business  cares  for  the  coming  Sabbath." 

Friday  evening,  February  24th. 
"  I  have  but  a  moment  to  say  that  God  seems 
to  be  prospering  me  in  my  business  here.  The 
Senate  by  a  vote  of  14  to  i  have  passed  a  bill 
which  I  had  prepared  in  the  very  form  in  which  I 
had  prepared  it ;  and  it  will  pass  the  House  next 
week,  as  I  hope,  by  a  unanimous  vote.  It  is  won- 
derful. Patience,  hearty  good  will,  and  hard 
work,  night  and  day,  have  brought  it  about."  .  . 
"  My  prospects  "  (he  wrote  a  few  days  later)  "are 
not  so  bright  as  they  were  on  Friday.  I  then 
thought  the  trouble  was  over,  but  in  the  House 
it  has  just  begun,  I  fear.  Demagogues  and  repu- 
diators  there  are  who  resist  every  honest  measure, 

198 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

but  the  hearts  of  all  men  are  in  the  hand  of  God 
and  He  turns  them  which  way  He  will  like  rivers 
of  water." 

Monday  evening,  February  27th. 
"  It  is  now  eleven  o'clock  and  I  have  had  an- 
other hard  day's  work.  The  prospect  now  is  that  I 
shall  carry  my  business  through  triumphantly  and 
settle  a  great  question,  to  the  honor  and  prosper- 
ity of  a  great  State,  and  secure  a  great  object  to 
the  bondholders.  And  I  am  confident  that  I  say 
but  the  simple  truth,  and  what  is  apparent,  that  it 
would  not  have  been  settled  if  I  had  not  come  ; 
and  that  no  one  else  could  probably  have  effected 
it  in  the  same  way.  I  have  as  much  as  I  can  do  to 
follow  it  up,  being  obliged  to  go  and  see  every 
man  and  talk  it  over  with  him  plainly  and  fully. 
You  could  have  seen  me  this  evening  in  a  room 
with  half  a  dozen  members  seated  around  a  table, 
laying  down  sound  principles  of  democracy  in  re- 
lation to  the  payment  of  the  public  debt  and  the 
maintenance  of  the  public  credit ;  telling  them 
that  whereas  a  good  citizen  should  be  ready  al- 
ways to  lay  down  hi§  life  in  defence  of  his  country 
against  an  invading  foe,  so  he  should  always  be 

199 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


ready  to  give  up  his  property  to  preserve  and 
defend  the  honor  of  his  country  and  pay  its 
debts." 

Detroit,  March  7,  1843. 
"  In  the  morning  of  Monday  it  was  ascertained 
that  the  enemies  of  the  bill  had  been  so  active 
during  Sunday  that  they  had  a  fixed  majority.  I 
and  my  friends  went  to  work,  and  in  the  after- 
noon, when  the  bill  came  up,  there  was  a  very  an- 
imated debate  pro  and  con.  I  had  not  conceived 
of  such  violent  opposition,  and  at  times  it  seemed 
as  if  the  bill  would  certainly  be  lost.  We  carried 
one  question  only  by  a  vote  of  25  to  24.  We 
finally  carried  the  bill  by  a  vote  of  28  to  20.  To- 
day it  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Governor  for  his  signa- 
ture, and  is  safe.  But  I  have  scarcely  ever  in  my 
life  passed  through  a  more  exciting  scene.  The 
question  was,  in  fact,  repudiation  or  no  repudia- 
tion ;  and  the  debates  were  very  exciting.  Gen- 
eral Cass  turned  out  in  the  evening  to  hear.  The 
opponents  of  the  bill  appealed  to  passion  rather 
than  to  reason,  and  in  the  course  of  the  evening 
the  yeas  and  nays  were  taken  seven  times.  Thus 
has   ended  my  mission   here,  after  six  weeks  of 

200 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


toil  and  anxiety,  and  in  the  result  I  recognize  the 
hand  and  blessing  of  God." 

Great  was  Mr.  Butler's  joy  in  the  triumph  of 
his  cause.  All  danger  seemed  over  on  that  Mon- 
day night  when  the  bill  passed  the  Senate  ;  but 
on  Wednesday  a  new  and  unforeseen  peril  threat- 
ened the  measure.  The  history  of  the  new  crisis 
and  its  outcome  is  given  in  a  letter  written  from 
Toledo  on  March  nth  : 

"The  bill  was  sent  to  the   Governor  for   his 
approval  on  Tuesday  at  noon.      I  then  felt  that 
the  crisis  had  passed,  and  that  the  bill  was  safe.      It 
never  entered  my  mind  that  the  Governor  could, 
or  would,  veto  it.      It  was  a  question  of  policy 
to  be  settled  by  the   Legislature,  and  it  did  not 
involve  any  constitutional  principles.      On  Wed- 
nesday morning  the   Governor  had   not  returned 
the  bill,  and  a  good  deal  of  solicitude  began  to  be 
expressed.     This  was  increased  by  the  declaration 
of  Bush  and  others  that  Governor   Barry  would 
veto  the  bill.     Still  its  friends  did  not  yield  to  any 
serious  fear.      In  the  afternoon  I  was  in  my  room, 
about  half-past  two,  and  had  just  finished  a  letter 
to  my  brother  Franklin,  giving  an  account  of  the 


20I 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

results  of  my  mission,  rather  a  crowing  letter,  too 
(I  shall  never  crow  again  till  I  get  out  of  the 
woods  !)  when  Mr.  Wells,  the  commissioner,  a 
friend  of  the  Governor,  and  known  to  be  intimate 
with  him,  came  in  with  a  good  deal  of  anxiety 
depicted  in  his  face,  and  said  that  he  called  to  see 
me  about  the  bill,  and  that  something  must  be 
done  right  away.  I  expressed  my  astonishment 
and  inquired  whether  the  Governor  had  any  hesi- 
tation on  the  subject.  He  replied  that  he  was 
not  authorized  to  say  that  the  Governor  would 
not  sign  the  bill  with  the  tax  clause  in,  but  unless 
that  clause  was  stricken  out  he  thought  the  bill 
would  be  in  danger.  He  then  urged  me  to  con- 
sent to  this  alteration.  If  the  tax  clause  was  not 
stricken  out  it  would  ruin  the  Governor  and  the 
party,  and  I  ought  not  to  place  them  in  such  a 
position.  I  replied  that  this  was  the  only  feature 
of  the  bill  worth  saving,  that  the  Governor  must 
take  the  responsibility,  and  that  I  had  rather  have 
the  bill  vetoed  than  signed  without  the  tax  clause. 
Mr.  Wells  left  me,  saying  that  if  I  changed  my 
mind  I  must  let  him  know  within  half  an  hour, 
as  the  time  was  passing. 

"After  he  had  gone  I  could  not  but  muse  on  the 


202 


OF       CHARLES       BUT  L  ER 


uncertainty   of  all   human   affairs.      Here  was  I, 
after  having  secured,  as  I   supposed,  beyond  any 
question,  the  passage  of  a  bill  which  would  reflect 
honor  on  the  people  and  do  justice  to  the  credi- 
tors of  the  State,  rejoicing  in  the  victory  and  re- 
posing on  my  laurels,  when   lo  !  a  veto  !     I  was 
almost  driven  in  desperation  to  take  ground  with 
Clay  against  the  veto  power  altogether.     A  little 
reflection,  however,   brought   me    to  my    senses 
and  to  my  knees.     I  had  forgotten  God   in  this 
business,  and  taken  to   myself  the  praise    which 
belonged  to   Him   and   to   Him  alone.     Surely, 
every  man  is  vanity,  as  the  psalmist  says.     Such 
a  rebuke,  such  a  break  down,  I   had  never  before 
realized.     But,  my  dear  wife,  when  I  arose  from 
that    prayer  I  felt  such  calmness,  such  content- 
ment, such  submission  and  resignation  to  the  will 
of  God  as  to  be  willing,  I  had  almost  said  desiring, 
that  He   would  cause  the   Governor  to  veto  the 
bill  and  thus  humble  my  pride,  self-confidence 
and  conceit  into  the  very  dust. 

"  I  thought,  however,  that  duty  to  my  employ- 
ers and  duty  to  an  upright  cause  and  a  sincere  de- 
sire to  promote  what  I  certainly  conceived  to  be 
for  the  true  interests,  moral,  political  and  financial, 


203 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


of  Michigan,  required  of  me  to  use  all  honest 
means  to  prevent  so  great  a  disaster  and  injury  to 
these  interests  as  such  an  event  would  produce. 
I  never  estimated  the  moral  force  of  the  veto 
power,  for  good  or  evil,  as  I  did  then,  and  as  I 
shall  ever  hereafter,  when  any  great  question  is 
involved.  I  knew  that  Governor  Barry  was  an 
honest,just  and  prudent  man,  and  that  he  would  act 
cautiously ;  but  I  saw  in  the  fact  that  his  most 
confidential  friend  and  adviser  regarded  a  veto  in- 
evitable, unless  I  consented  to  strike  out  the  tax 
clause,  the  strongest  evidence  that  such  was  the 
meaning,  if  not  the  conclusion,  of  his  mind.  But 
I  went  out  to  see  what  I  could  do." 

So  prompt  and  effective  was  his  work  in  stir- 
ring up  the  friends  of  the  bill  that : 

"  In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  and  evening 
the  Governor  had  a  series  of  calls  from  his  per- 
sonal and  political  friends,  who  remonstrated  with 
him  most  plainly  against  so  suicidal  an  act,  and  I 
had  reports  from  Houghton,  Purdy,  Hall,  Wake- 
field and  others,  of  the  results  of  their  various  in- 
terviews. As  time  was  pressing,  this  being  the 
afternoon  of  the  last  day  of  the  session,  the  gen- 
tlemen  had   no   time  for   compliments.     It  was 

204 


plain  talk  all  round,  and  I  was  amused  at  the  re- 
port which  an  eye-witness  gave  of  Judge  Bell's 
mission.  When  the  Judge  entered,  the  Cabinet 
were  in  session  deliberating  on  the  bill,  and  he 
addressed  himself  directly  to  the  Governor,  *  talk- 
ing to  him  like  a  father.'  As  the  Governor  is 
probably  ten  years  older  than  the  Judge,  it  struck 

me  with  humor. 

«  After  tea  the  Cabinet  again  met  to   deliberate 
further,  and  I   went  to   the  Capitol   again   to   see 
how  things  stood.      I  found  very  great  excitement 
pervading   both   Houses  and  an  increasing   con- 
fidence that  the  bill  would  be  vetoed ;  and  it  was 
said    that,  even    if  vetoed,    it    would   be    passed 
through  the  House  by  a   constitutional    majority 
of  two-thirds.      Perhaps  the  wish  was  father  to  the 
thought.      It  was   evident,  however,  that  the  cur- 
rent was  setting  with   overwhelming  force  against 
the  veto.      The  enemies  of  the  bill  had  made  ex- 
traordinary efforts  to  bring  influence  to  bear  upon 
the    Governor   through    his   trusted    friend,   Mr. 
Eldridge,  the  Secretary  of  State.     They  said  that 
his  signing  it  would  be  a  deathblow  to  his  admin- 
istration and  to  the  ascendancy  of  the  Democratic 
party   in   the  State,  and  he  had,  no  doubt,  been 


205 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

brought  to  believe  this.  The  counteracting  in- 
fluences, however,  in  support  of  an  honest  and 
just  cause,  were  too  powerful  to  be  resisted,  and 
at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  Governor 
signed  the  bill.  This  result  was  brought  to  me 
confidentially  in  the  Senate  chamber,  where  I  was 
patiently  awaitmg  the  veto  message,  the  moment 
it  occurred.  It  was  soon  circulated  among  the 
members  and  the  congregation  of  bystanders  who 
were  lookers-on  in  Vienna.  Well  was  it  for  Gov- 
ernor Barry  and  for  the  honor  and  credit  of  the 
State  of  Michigan  that  unwise  counsels  did  not 
prevail  with  him  ;  that  God  so  overruled  things 
that  he  was  kept  from  falling  into  a  snare  and 
inflicting  an  irreparable  injury  upon  his  own  char- 
acter and  upon  the  character  and  good  name  of  the 
State.  And  thus  ended  this  chapter  and  this 
day  of  the  8th  of  March,  1843,  ^^  ^^  o'clock 
p.  M.,  when  I  left  the  Capitol." 

The  fight  was  won.  To  the  struggling  people 
of  Michigan  the  taxation  in  prospect  seemed  an 
overwhelming  burden.  But,  under  the  provisions 
of  this  law,  the  State  regained  financial  stability. 
The  issues  of  bonds,  funded  wisely  by  Charles 
Butler's  bill  on  the  basis   of  the   values   actually 

206 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

received,  were  honorably  cared  for.  The  Central 
Railroad  was  sold  to  a  company  for  two  millions 
of  dollars,  the  Southern  to  another  company  for 
half  a  million,  and  the  finances  of  the  State  have 
never  since  been  in  question.  Of  far  greater 
value,  however,  to  the  Commonwealth  and  to  the 
country  was  the  victory  gained  for  public  honor 

and  honesty. 

An  extract  from  a  confidential  letter  by  the  Au- 
ditor-General of  Michigan,  Hon.  C.  J.  Ham- 
mond, to  Mr.  George  Griswold,  of  New  York, 
shows  Mr.  Butler's  part  in  the  struggle  from  an 
outsider's  standpoint: 

«  I  avail  myself  of  the  opportunity  presented 
by  the  return  of  Charles  Butler,  Esq.,  to  say  what 
simple  justice  to  him  requires  you  should  know. 
You  will  be  advised  by  him  of  the  result  of  his 
mission  more  perfectly  than  the  limits  of  a  letter 
will  permit  me  to  do.     Of  his  agency  in  produc- 
ing this  result  I  cannot  say  too  much.     He  has 
accomplished  all  that  man  could    do    and  more 
than  almost  any  other  gentleman  you  might  have 
selected.     You  are  aware  that  when  the  present 
executive  took  the  gubernatorial  chair  repudiation 
was  ready  to  burst  forth,  and  if  they  had  been  led  in 


207 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

that  direction  a  large  majority  of  the  people  of  this 
State  would  have  followed.  In  his  first  message 
the  Governor  gave  tone  to  the  then  forming  pub- 
lic sentiment,  which  led  to  the  legislation  of  1842. 
In  his  last  annual  communication  to  the  Legisla- 
ture he  advanced  a  step  and  public  opinion  sus- 
tained him.  But  many  even  of  our  most  valuable 
citizens  had  not  dreamed  of  taxation^  and  the  Ex- 
ecutive did  not  think  public  opinion  would  war- 
rant a  present  enactment  embodying  that  princi- 
ple. Although  it  was  fast  approximating  to  that 
high  and  honest  stand,  still  it  seemed  a  task  be- 
yond the  power  of  any  man  to  lead  a  majority  of 
the  representatives  of  the  people  to  that  point,  at 
this  time.  Mr.  Butler,  by  his  address,  amenity 
of  manners  and  powerful  arguments,  has  succeeded, 
and  has  procured  an  enactment  based  on  high  moral 
and  political  principles  ;  one  that  reflects  great 
credit  on  him  and,  I  think  I  may  justly  say,  great 
credit  on  the  State.  Discretion  will  require  that 
the  agency  of  Mr.  Butler  in  producing  this  result 
should  not  be  trumpeted.  Our  people  are  jealous 
of  foreign  and  out-door  influence,  and  the  people 
should  have  all  the  credit  that  can  be  bestowed 
upon  them  consistently." 

208 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 

Hardly  had  this  enterprise  been  concluded 
when  another  had  to  be  undertaken.  For  the 
protection  of  the  financial  interests  and  of  the  in- 
vestments made  by  the  American  Land  Company, 
of  which  he  was  president,  and  whose  fortunes 
were  identified  with  those  of  almost  every  Wes- 
tern State,  Charles  Butler  had  to  visit  Mississippi 
and  Louisiana.  He  went  directly  from  Detroit, 
as  soon  as  his  work  in  Michigan  had  been  com- 
pleted. His  errand  to  the  South,  though  dealing 
with  financial  matters  of  importance  at  the  mo- 
ment, did  not  involve  great  questions  of  state 
policy  as  had  the  visit  to  Michigan,  and  it  need  not 
here  concern  us.  But  his  notes  of  traveling  ex- 
periences, and  his  views  of  ajffairs  in  the  South  are 
of  interest  to  us  now  that  sixty  years  have  passed. 

Travelling  in  the  West  and  Southwest  was  a 
serious  matter  in  the  Forties,  when  the  fastest  mail, 
night  and  day,  required  ten  days  from  New 
Orleans  to  New  York,  It  was  made  especially 
arduous  for  Charles  Butler  by  his  steadfast  refusal 
to  travel  on  Sunday.  To  the  average  stage  driver 
and  route  agent  the  subordination  of  business  re- 
quirements to  this  religious  sentiment  never 
seemed  quite  reasonable,  and  a  readjustment  was 

209 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


effected  each  succeeding  Saturday  with  infinite  dif- 
ficulty. Difficult  or  easy,  however,  it  was  always 
brought  about,  and  the  records  of  the  Sundays — 
sometimes  spent  in  a  town  where  a  preacher  of 
some  note  was  heard,  more  often  in  a  little  log- 
cabin  church  on  the  prairies,  where  Mr.  Butler 
would  himself  assist  at  the  Sunday  School  services, 
— are  full  of  interest.  A  characteristic  letter  of 
about  this  period,  though  not  written  on  this  jour- 
ney, gives  so  graphic  a  picture  of  one  of  these  days 
of  rest  that  it  is  inserted  here  : 

"  The  Sabbath  is  nearly  gone,  and  though  dis- 
tant a  thousand  miles,  in  a  strange  land  and 
among  strangers,  yet  have  I  been  with  you  in 
spirit.  I  have  had  a  home  feeling,  and  you  and 
our  dear  children  have  been  not  only  the  subject 
of  my  repeated  prayers,  but  the  subject  of  my  al- 
most constant  thoughts.  I  left  Terre  Haute  yes- 
terday in  a  private  conveyance  for  Crawfordsville, 
expecting  to  get  through  to  spend  Sunday  there 
with  my  friends  in  the  college,  and  calculating  a 
good  deal  on  the  interest  and  pleasure  of  such 
an  arrangement.  But  the  distance  was  greater 
and  the  roads  worse  than  I  had  anticipated  ;  and 
by  sunset  I  was  yet  twenty-eight  miles  from  the 


2IO 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


destined  point.  Night  shut  in  upon  us,  and  we 
could  scarcely  grope  our  way  through  the  woods, 
and  finally  got  into  a  deep  ditch,  and  were  brought 
up  all  in  a  heap.  Whilst  my  companion  held  the 
horses,  I  labored  at  the  wagon  and  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  it  out  of  the  hole.  Then  we 
started  again,  but  at  eleven  we  halted  at  a  house  by 
the  wayside,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining  comfort- 
able lodgings  for  man  and  beast.  The  bed  was 
never  more  welcome,  nor  was  sleep  ever  sweeter 
or  more  refreshing. 

"  To-day  I  attended  the  only  meeting  in  the 
neighborhood,  which  was  held  at  a  small  log 
school  house,  beautifully  situated  in  a  grove  on 
the  banks  of  a  running  brook.  It  was  interesting 
to  see  the  gathering  of  the  people,  on  horseback, 
on  foot,  and  in  wagons — the  plain  and  honest 
country  people,  men,  women  and  children, — 
women  on  horseback  with  their  infants  in  their  arms 
— and  now  and  then  a  man  with  his  wife  behind 
him — an  immense  concourse  of  good-looking,  in- 
telligent country  people.  The  school  house  could 
only  accommodate  the  women,  their  children,  and 
half  a  dozen  men — all  the  rest  were  seated  on 
benches  made  of  rails,  out  doors  under  the  shade 


ati 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


of  the  trees  around  the  house.  The  minister  took 
his  stand  in  the  doorway,  so  that  those  inside  and 
outside  could  hear.  It  was  a  beautiful  day,  the 
sun  shining  sweetly,  the  woods  literally  alive  with 
the  birds,  and  the  noise  of  the  swift  stream  ming- 
ling with  their  music  and  the  hearty  singing  of  the 
people  together,  made  an  occasion  of  unequalled 
interest.  It  was  all  nature  and  the  God  of  na- 
ture ;  the  noble  forest  trees  in  their  richest  attire, 
the  green  grass,  the  sweet  shade,  the  large  collec- 
tion of  Sunday  dressed  rustic  people,  the  primi- 
tive house  of  worship,  the  still  more  primitive  and 
solemn  mode  of  conducting  the  service,  the  per- 
fect stillness  which  reigned,  save  the  sounds  of  the 
water  and  the  birds,  and  of  praise  and  prayer  and 
preaching — all  seemed  to  be  in  unison  with  the 
day. 

"  What  affected  me  deeply  was  the  feeling  of 
gratitude  that  seemed  to  exist  for  such  great  and 
distinguished  mercies  and  blessings  as  they  en- 
joyed. The  preacher  in  prayer  dwelt  upon  God's 
goodness  and  mercy  and  blessings  conferred  upon 
them,  as  compared  with  the  condition  of  thous- 
ands and  tens  of  thousands  on  the  face  of  the 
earth,  and  he  took  for  his  subject  the  4th  Chap- 


212 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

ter  of  Hebrews,  "  The  rest  which  remains  for 
the  people  of  God."  He  explained  the  subject 
in  a  plain  but  most  impressive  and  truly  orthodox 
way,  and  I  could  but  feel  that  it  was  the  simple 
preaching  of  the  Gospel — it  was  angels'  food. 

"It  seems  that  it  was  Communion  Sunday  and  the 
Sacrament  was  administered,  but  how  unlike  such 
occasions  in  our  church.  These  poor  people  have 
no  Communion  service,  and  from  the  nature  of 
the  case  the  mode  of  doing  it  must  adapt  itself  to 
their  condition.  The  male  members  were  required 
to  take  front  seats  out  doors,  the  female  members 
the  front  seats  in  the  house,  and  then  the  elements 
were  distributed,  and  the  whole  was  conducted 
with  decorum  and  amid  the  most  profound  and 
respectful  attention  on  the  part  of  the  spectators. 
I  must  confess  that  I  have  never  partaken  of  the 
Sacrament  under  more  interesting  circumstances, 
and  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  it  might  have  been  thus 
administered  in  the  days  of  the  apostles. 

"After  the  Communion  there  was  a  baptism  by 
immersion  in  the  brook.  The  whole  congregation 
repaired  to  the  banks  of  the  stream,  and  there, 
after  prayer  and  singing  one  or  two  beautiful 
hymns,  the  rite  was  performed.     The  loveliness 

213 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

of  the  day,  the  beauty  of  the  surrounding  scenery, 
and  the  sweet  accompaniments  of  the  feathered 
songsters,  rendered  this  an  interesting  ceremony. 
I  am  staying  at  a  simple  country  tavern — very 
plain,  but  neat — and  the  landlord  and  wife  both 
good,  quiet  people  ;  the  stillest  place  you  ever 
saw." 

The  route  from  Michigan  to  the  South  was  by 
stage,  wagon,  and  cart,  via  Toledo,  Sandusky,  and 
Columbus,  to  Cincinnati ;  thence  by  steamboat 
on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  to  Memphis  and  to 
New  Orleans.  To  us  now  stage  travel  has  a 
romantic  interest  dear  to  the  hearts  of  those  who 
love  the  stories  of  the  olden  time.  Little  enough 
romance  was  there  in  its  actual  conditions.  It 
was  uncertain,  expensive — ten  cents  a  mile — and 
distressingly  uncomfortable. 

"  I  left  Sandusky,"  wrote  Charles  Butler,  "  on 
the  morning  of  the  fourth,  in  the  *  stage,'  a  small 
buggy  wagon  loaded  down  with  mail  bags,  drawn 
by  two  horses,  for  the  first  seventeen  miles  to 
Tiffen,  which  we  accomplished  in  precisely  seven 
and  a  half  hours  ;  then  shifted  to  a  '  spanker,' 
drawn  by  four  horses,  for  the  ride  to  Marion. 
This  last  vehicle  was  a  large  covered  wagon,  as  un- 

214 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 

comfortable  a  thing  to  ride  in  as  could  well  be  de- 
vised, save  the  cover.  Then  we  rode  in  a  '  hack'  to 
Delaware;  then  in  a  lumber  wagon  thirty  miles 
to  Worthington,  where  I  arrived  at  half-past  ten 
last  night,  and  where  I  was  glad  to  stop  from 
sheer  exhaustion.  I  had  ridden  from  Sandusky 
to  Worthington  thirty-nine  hours  without  stop- 
ping, nearly  the  whole  distance  in  wagons  at  the 
rate  of  two  to  two  and  a  half  miles  an  hour,  the 
seats  having  no  backs  and  the  roads  as  bad  as 
roads  could  be.  I  stayed  over  at  Worthington 
last  night  and  got  a  good  night's  rest,  and  to-day 
came  in  to  Columbus  on  horseback." 

Steamboat  travel,  of  course,  was  much  better. 
"  I  have  been  very  fortunate  in  the  boat,"  he 
wrote  ;  "  she  is  a  first-class  boat  from  Cincinnati, 
and  the  captain  is  part  owner  and  has  a  first-rate 
list  of  officers  and  men.  He  appears  to  be  very 
careful  and  devoted  to  his  business.  Yesterday 
afternoon  he  put  a  man  ashore  on  the  banks  of 
the  river  who  was  suspected  of  having  stolen  from 
some  of  the  passengers.  It  seemed  hard  to  leave 
a  man  on  these  lonely  banks  to  take  his  chance 
of  finding  a  place  of  refuge,  but  from  the  decision 
of  the  captain  in  such  cases  there   is   no  appeal. 

215 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

Our  captain  is  a  gentleman  in  every  sense  of  the 
word,  and  I  like  him  very  much.  We  have  a 
large  number  of  passengers,  every  berth  full,  and 
they  certainly  are  a  most  respectable  class.  I 
have  been  surprised  at  their  appearance  and  de- 
portment, so  different  from  what  one  might  have 
expected  on  these  waters.  The  barber,  a  loqua- 
cious Frenchman,  says  that  he  never  saw  such  a 
load  of  passengers,  '  such  grave  people — bar  do 
no  business — so  different  last  time — then  great 
many  loved  to  play,  drink,  gamble — now  all 
peace,  quiet.'  I  could  almost  fancy  myself  on  the 
Boston  boat  were  it  not  that  the  people  around  me, 
who  are  from  Maryland,  Virginia,  the  Carolinas, 
Kentucky,  Ohio,  Tennessee,  Mississippi  and 
Louisiana,  talk  of  Western  plans  and  things  alto- 
gether. Among  them  are  many  religious  persons 
and  they  seem  to  give  tone  to  the  society  of  our 
steamer.  Having  been  now  four  days  on  board 
we  are  getting  pretty  well  acquainted,  and  there 
are  some  whom  I  shall  always  think  of  with 
pleasure.  Thus  the  traveller  is  always  falling  in 
with,  and  falling  out  with,  his  fellow  pilgrims  as  he 
journeys  on  through  this  wilderness  of  a  world." 
He  was  impressed  by  the  majesty  of  the  river 

216 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

which  was  in  full  flood,  "  bearing  us  swiftly  with 
it  on  its  journey  to  the  sea."  He  wrote  :  "  We 
have  just  been  wooding,  and  I  have  had  a  fine 
walk  in  the  woods  of  Louisiana,  and  heard  the  birds 
sing,  and  enjoyed  the  fine  breeze  and  pure  air.  The 
cotton  tree  is  covered  with  moss  which  hangs  from 
its  wide-spread  branches  and  has  a  beautiful  appear- 
ance, like  drapery.  The  banks  are  more  cultivated 
as  we  descend  the  river.  We  see  fine  plantations 
on  each  side,  picturesque  in  appearance,  the  negro 
houses  whitewashed  and  so  grouped  as  to  give  the 
impression  of  a  village. 

"  We  passed  General  Jackson's  plantation  yes- 
terday afternoon.  We  are  now  in  the  sugar 
country,  and  the  plantations  front  on  the  river 
and  run  back  two  or  three  miles  perfectly  level. 
The  cane  is  probably  a  foot  high  and  the  hands 
are  at  work  hoeing  it.  We  have  just  passed 
one  plantation  of  Mr.  Wade  Hampton,  on  which 
there  are  three  thousand  negroes  employed.  It  is 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  country,  lies  on  both  sides 
of  the  river  and  presents  a  most  beautiful  appear- 
ance. The  negro  houses  are  arranged  in  a  taste- 
ful way.  I  counted  forty  in  one  field,  twenty  in  a 
row,  each  house  standing  by  itself  and  having  a 

217 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


handsome  yard  around  it  in  front  and  rear,  the 
houses  all  built  on  the  same  plan,  painted  white 
and  each  house  of  good  size.  The  mansion  house 
stands  on  the  bank  of  the  river  a  short  distance 
back  and  like  all  the  houses  of  this  country  of  the 
better  class  is  built  with  a  veranda  all  around  it  and 
with  shade  trees  all  about  it.  The  hands  at  work 
in  the  fields  looked  like  an  army  of  men  and  I  am 
told  the  crop  of  this  plantation  comes  to  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars  a  year." 

Aside  from  its  one  blot  of  slavery,  the  southern 
country  made  a  great  impression  upon  Charles 
Butler's  mind  for  its  beauty  and  for  the  hospital- 
ity and  open-heartedness  of  its  people.  His  jour- 
ney led  him  by  wagon  from  Memphis,  Tennessee, 
to  Holly  Springs,  Mississippi. 

"  We  stopped  at  Germantown  fifteen  miles 
out,"  he  wrote,  "and  had  feed  for  our  horses  and 
food  for  ourselves — Indian  bread,  Indian  cakes, 
delicious  ham  and  eggs,  and  fresh  milk.  The 
houses  along  the  road  are  chiefly  log  houses ; 
that  is,  two  large  log  or  block  houses — logs  hewn 
or  smooth — standing  entirely  detached,  leaving 
an  open  space  of  fifteen  feet  in  width  between 
them  ;  and  then  a  roof  covering  both,  thus  leaving 

218 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


in  the  centre  an  open  hall  or  covered  way.  The 
one  house  Is  a  sitting  or  sleeping  room,  usually  two 
beds  and  decently  furnished,  the  other  a  family  or 
working  room  with  beds  in  it  also.  Then,  as 
an  appurtenant,  and  at  a  little  distance  from  this 
main  or  family  mansion,  is  a  large  common  kitchen 
and  eating  room  for  the  family  and  for  the  blacks. 
Then  at  a  still  greater  distance  are  sundry  small 
and  common-looking  log  houses  for  the  negroes. 

"At  one  place  where  we  stopped  yesterday — 
that  of  a  substantial  and  wealthy  farmer — it  was 
just  twelve  o'clock  and  the  lord  of  the  house  was 
passing  from  the  main  house  to  the  log  dining 
house,  perhaps  forty  feet  distant,  where  was  con- 
gregated a  large  number  of  black  spirits  and  white, 
big  and  Httle.  I  observed  half  a  dozen  little  black 
children,  male  and  female,  who  were  almost  liter- 
ally naked;  and  even  the  large  negroes  were 
miserably  clad.  As  they  came  up,  ragged  and 
tattered,  the  little  ones  ran  out  and  greeted  them, 
'  Daddy,  Daddy,'  with  as  much  fondness  as  our 
children  would  greet  us.  They  are  very  hospi- 
table;  the  moment  we  stopped  a  negro  woman 
came  out  with  a  large  potato  custard  pie.  They 
all  live   very  well    here;    hominy    corn-bread  in 


219 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


every  form,  potato  custard — made  of  sweet  pota- 
toes with  milk,  sugar,  eggs,  butter  and  nutmegs — 
hot  muffins,  rice,  boiled  and  baked,  potatoes  cooked 
in  every  form,  apples,  hot  biscuits,  bacon  and 
eggs  are  standing  dishes.  But,  oh,  what  a  stain 
this  slavery  !  And  yet  the  slaves  as  a  general 
thing  are  well  treated  here  and  public  sentiment 
frowns  on  any  master  who  would  abuse  them  ; 
still  they  are  neglected  by  many,  shamefully,  and 
it  cannot  be  otherwise,  human  nature  being  what 
it  is. 

"  The  country  about  Holly  Springs  is  roman- 
tically and  surpassingly  beautiful.  It  is  rolling, 
with  beautifully  formed  hills  and  valleys  as  sweet 
as  Arcadia.  The  town  covers  about  as  much 
ground  as  he  city  of  New  York.  Every  house 
has  its  little  plantation  beside  it.  They  have 
good  schools,  good  churches.  But  this  slavery 
mars  the  beauty  of  the  whole  scene  ;  it  is  a  dread- 
ful evil,  and  I  am  more  puzzled  to  see  how  it  is 
to  be  removed  than  I  ever  was  before.  It  is  a 
mystery  the  solution  of  which  God  has  reserved 
to  Himself;  He  will  make  it  plain  in  some  way, 
and  He  will    remove    the   evil,   I    think,  in  due 


time." 


^^o 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

This  reads  something  like  a  prophecy  in  the 
light  of  subsequent  events. 

"  I  have  just  seen  a  sight,"  he  wrote  later  from 
this  same  Holly  Springs,  "  that  wrung  my  very 
heart  and  made  me  wretchedly  unhappy.  It  was 
a  sale  of  negroes,  big  and  little,  husbands  and 
wives,  men,  women  and  children,  all  in  the  market 
at  auction.  Oh,  it  was  enough  to  make  you  weep 
to  see  it.  I  could  stand  it  but  a  few  moments. 
Oh,  my  soul,  enter  thou  not  into  their  secrets. 
Why  is  this  so  ?  Is  there  no  arm  to  stop  it  and 
prevent  husband  and  wife,  parents  and  children 
from  being  torn  from  family  life,  and  sold  to 
different  masters  ?     It  is  shocking  to  humanity." 

It  is  pleasant  to  recall  that  during  the  lifetime  of 
the  writer  of  this  letter  the  stain  of  slavery  was  re- 
moved, and  that  the  South  came  to  its  nobler 
heritage. 

The  Southern  trip  ended  with  a  pleasant  jour- 
ney through  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  and  the  busy 
New  York  professional  life  was  resumed. 


CHAPTER   VI 

THE     FUNDING     OF     THE     BONDED 
DEBT     OF     INDIANA 


THE  success  which  had  crowned  Mr.  But- 
ler's work  in  Michigan  attracted  wide 
attention.  Other  States  oppressed  with 
debt,  and  other  financial  institutions  holding  State 
bonds  as  investments  turned  to  this  successful 
advocate  for  assistance.  As  a  general  princi- 
ple it  had  been  held  that  "  since  the  State,  being 
a  sovereignty,  cannot  be  sued  nor  forced  to  pay 
her  debts  to  the  holders  of  State  bonds,  it  is,  for 
that  very  reason,  bound  to  act  as  a  sovereignty. 
Its  honor  must  be  sustained  at  all  sacrifices,  and 
its  plighted  faith  remain  inviolate."  This  state- 
ment, here  quoted  from  Governor  Whitcomb,  of 
Indiana,  had  no  opponents  when  announced  as  a 
theory  ;  but  it  seemed  of  slight  value  as  a  refuge 
to  legislatures  who  faced  the  condition  of  a  banlc- 

Z22 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

rupt  State.  A  mediator,  skilled  and  sagacious  in 
financial  matters,  was  as  much  needed  as  a  moralist, 
and  in  the  winter  of  1845-6,  Charles  Butler  went 
to  Indiana  on  behalf  of  the  bondholders  of  the 
State,  for  the  adjustment  of  its  debt. 

The  situation  was  difficult.  The  statesmen  of 
Indiana,  like  those  of  Michigan,  with  the  optimism 
of  pioneers,  had  undertaken  a  vast  system  of  in- 
ternal improvements  quite  beyond  the  capacity  of 
the  State  to  maintain  or  even  to  complete.  Chief 
among  these  public  works  was  the  Wabash  and 
Erie  Canal,  intended  to  connect  the  waters  of  the 
Gulf  with  those  of  the  Lakes  and  the  Atlantic. 
Water  communication,  seventy  years  ago,  was,  it 
will  be  remembered,  the  main  reliance  of  com- 
merce. The  Erie  Canal  had  proved  a  boon  to 
New  York,  and  a  like  future  was  predicted  for  this 
Indiana  enterprise.  It  was  to  run — and  was  finally 
completed — from  Toledo  on  Lake  Erie,  south- 
ward ninety  miles  through  Ohio,  and  three  hun- 
dred and  seventy-nine  miles  through  Indiana,  to 
Evansville,  on  the  Ohio  River.  Its  length  in  In- 
diana was  about  the  same  as  that  of  the  Erie  Ca- 
nal in  New  York,  and  its  hopes  seemed  as  bright. 

But  money  for  this  enterprise  had  to  be  borrowed 

223 


THE     LIFE     AND      LETTERS 


upon  bonds,  in  foreign  markets,  the  United  States 
having  then  little  spare  capital.  Unluckily,  the  ne- 
gotiations had,  as  in  Michigan,  been  made  through 
the  ill-fated  Morris  Canal  and  Banking  Company, 
whose  failure  had  involved  the  State  in  heavy  loss. 
Meantime  other  difficulties  arose.  The  canal  was 
not  completed  ;  the  State  was  compelled  to  default 
in  its  interest  on  the  bonds,  and  offered  no  hope 
of  their  payment. 

In  his  message  to  the  Legislature  Governor 
Whitcomb  was  almost  hopeless.  "  The  mighty  im- 
pulse," he  said,"  which  seemed  to  have  been  given 
to  her  prosperity  by  the  legislation  of  1836,  ex- 
hausted itself  within  a  few  years.  So  that  by  the  win- 
ter of  1 841,  under  the  influence  of  the  reaction 
which  followed,  the  credit  of  the  State  was  de- 
stroyed, and  its  finances  were  thrown  into  the  ut- 
most disorder — in  the  history  of  the  State  the  day 
of  adversity  seemed  truly  to  be  set  over  against  the 
day  of  her  prosperity — since  then  the  public  debt 
has  rested  like  a  nightmare  on  the  bosom  of  the 
State,  crushing  the  energies,  and  destroying  the 
hopes  of  the  people.  It  has  been  for  years  a  dis- 
turbing theme,  and  a  fruitful  source  of  bickering 
and  strife.     The  withering  efl^ects  of  it  upon  the 

224 


,*s>*- 


Charles  Butler 

From  a  photograph  taken  by  Brady  about  i860 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


upon  bonds,  in  foreign  markets,  the  United  States 
having  then  little  spare  capital.  Unluckily,  the  ne- 
gotiations had,  as  in  Michigan,  been  made  through 
the  ill-fated  Morris  Canal  and  Banking  Company, 
whose  failure  had  involved  the  State  in  heavy  loss. 
Me:  other       "    ulties  arose.     The  canal  was 

not  completed  ;  tht  was  compelled  to  default 

in  its  interest  on  the  t  and  offered  no  hope 

of  their  payment. 

In  his  message  to  the  re   Uovernor 

V  >  was  almost  hope  The  r  m- 

p  he  said,"  which  seen  e  been  given 

to  her  prosperity  by  the  legislation  of  1836,  ex- 
hausted itself  within  a  few  years.  So  that  by  the  win- 
ter of  1 841,  under  the  influence  of  the  reaction 
which  followed,  the  credit  of  the  State  was  de- 
stroyed, and  its  finances  were  thrown  into  th' 
most  disorder—  -v  of  day 

of  advcrsit)'  s"-^  .igainsf  ^hp 

day  of  her  pros  ic  public 

has  rested  like  a  nightmare  on  the  f  e 

State,  crushing  the  energies,  and  the 

hopes  of  the  people.      Tt  has  b  s  a  dis- 

turbing theme,  and  a^^^^^^^  P^l^.^'^'^  bickering 

and  strife.     TTie  withcnng  efteCt  ■      ^      upon  the 


224 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

moral,  social,  and  pecuniary  condition  of  the  people 
have  been  visible  to  reflecting  minds  as  the  sun  at 
noon-day,  and  could  not  fail  to  excite  the  deepest 
solicitude.  The  anxious  inquiry  with  all  honest  and 
patriotic  citizens  has  been,  How  can  we  ever 
remove  this  difficulty  and  satisfy  equally  the 
honor  of  the  State,  and  the  just  demands  of  our 
creditors  ?  And  whilst  their  patriotism  prompts 
the  inquiry,  their  hopes  are  unable  to  suggest  the 
answer." 

He  went  on,  though  not  confidently,  to  plead 
for  some  settlement  of  the  question.  "For," 
he  said,  "  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  addi- 
tional value  which  will  be  given  to  property,  by 
the  settlement  of  the  State  Debt  question  and 
the  prosecution  of  the  Canal,  will  add  greatly  to 
the  wealth  and  population  of  the  State  within  the 
ensuing  ten  years.  Immigrants  will  no  longer  be 
deterred  from  coming  into  the  State  by  its  doubt- 
ful and  unsettled  condition  in  regard  to  the  public 
debt.  Land  is  certainly  worth  more  per  acre  in 
any  of  the  new  States  whose  credit  is  untarnished, 
and  who  are  determined  to  meet  their  obligations 
when  they  have  the  ability  at  all  hazards,  than  in 
a  defaulting  State  ;  and  evidence  of  the  truth  of 

225 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

this  remark  is  to  be  found  in  the  notorious  fact 
that  immigrants  shun  the  defaulting  States." 

Mr.  Butler's  letters  to  his  wife  depict  the  situ- 
ation clearly  and  not  too  hopefully. 

Indianapolis,  November  29,  1845. 
"  I  have  been  incessantly  engaged,  night  and 
day,  and  hardly  find  time  to  eat  or  sleep.  The 
prospects  are  altogether  discouraging,  and  almost 
everybody  says  that  nothing  can  be  done.  Poli- 
ticians, on  both  sides,  are  afraid  to  move.  It  is 
really  amazing  to  see  what  a  paralysis  hangs  upon 
this  people.  Everything  is  merged  in  the  most 
trifling  local  politics.  The  Governor  is  a  promi- 
nent candidate  for  the  United  States  Senate,  and 
dare  not  open  his  mouth  as  he  should,  lest  it 
might  aflFect  his  election  to  that  office.  His  friends 
are  in  the  same  predicament ;  and  so  with  all  the 
other  candidates  and  their  respective  friends.  My 
mission  is  a  hard  one,  and  no  mistake.  Still,  it  is 
not  fair  to  judge  altogether  from  present  indica- 
tions. I  must  take  a  week  or  more  to  find  out 
how  the  land  lies.  It  is  hardly  possible  but  there 
will  be  found  some  good  men,  and  some  men  who 
will  take  right  ground.      I  must  try  my  hand  and 

226 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


see  what  I  can  do.  Perhaps  the  very  discourage- 
ments which  meet  me  at  the  outset  may  be  useful, 
and  prepare  the  way  for  ultimate  success.  It  is 
certain  that  if  the  question  is  not  now  settled  it 
never  will  be  ;  the  people  will  go  into  repudiation. 
I  have  had  two  interviews  with  the  Governor,  one 
at  my  room  and  the  other  at  his  own  house,  and 
they  have  been  quite  satisfactory.  He  is  one  of 
the  most  cautious  and  timid  men  in  the  world ;  at 
the  same  time  he  is,  I  think,  entirely  honest  and 
would  be  glad  to  have  right  done.  He  told  me 
what  he  should  say  in  his  message,  and  if  he  ad- 
heres to  this  intention  it  will  be  all  I  could  desire.'' 

December  7,  1845. 
"The  Sabbath  has  come  to  me  as  a  thing  to  be 
coveted.  My  spiritual  nature  was  famishing  and 
wearied,  and  needed  food  and  rest.  I  find  that  I 
am  engaged  in  a  great  undertaking,  involved  in 
the  most  complicated  and,  perhaps,  insuperable 
difficulties.  I  am  fully  persuaded  that  it  is  only 
by  addressing  myself  to  the  conscience  of  the 
people,  stirring  that  up,  and  bringing  that  to  bear 
that  I  stand  the  slightest  chance  of  success ;  and 
this  cannot  be  done  in  a  day.     A  revolution,  a 

227 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

reformation,  is  required  to  be  wrought.  The 
whole  population  has  got  to  be,  in  a  sense,  made 
over  again  before  justice  can  or  will  be  done  to 
the  holders  of  the  pledged  faith  of  the  State. 
Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things  ?  I  am  sure  I 
am  not. 

"  The  difficulty  in  the  way  is  radical ;  it  lies 
at  the  very  heart  of  the  people.  Such  is  the 
sentiment  produced  by  the  effijrts  of  heartless, 
unprincipled  politicians  that  it  has  become  a  ques- 
tion whether  it  would  be  honest  and  right  to  pay 
the  debt  !  No  man  dare  take  the  responsibility 
in  the  Legislature  of  advocating  payment.  The 
Governor,  even  though  he  went  very  far  for  him, 
yet  dare  not  use  the  w^ordpay  or  tax.  I  consider 
his  message  a  great  triumph  and  as  preparing  the 
way  for  my  mission  ;  yet  he  has  thrown  the  whole 
responsibility  on  me.  I  am  preparing  my  letter, 
but  it  requires  great  labor  and  reflection.  I  have 
to  weigh  every  word  and  get  it  exactly  right,  or 
else  I  shall  stir  up  such  a  hornets'  nest  about  my 
ears  that  I  shall  be  glad  '  to  cut  and  run  '  out  of 
the  Hoosier  State  as  fast  as  possible. 

"  I  mean  to  make  an  issue  between  the  bond- 
holders and  the  State  in  a  way  that  the  people 

228 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

shall  understand  it,  and  lay  the  foundation,  I  hope, 
for  future  success  if  I  fail  now.  I  find  myself 
backed  up  by  a  few  good  and  strong  men  of  both 
parties,  and  a  great  change  has  certainly  been 
wrought  since  I  came.  The  little  leaven  may 
leaven  the  whole  lump.  I  have  reason,  certainly, 
to  be  encouraged  with  the  indications  around  me, 
and  the  revolution  I  speak  of  is  certainly  within 
the  power  of  Him  who  holds  all  hearts  in  His 
hand.  It  is  a  great  question,  intimately  connected 
with  religion  and  morals,  and  that  connection  is 
what  I  rely  on.  Last  night  I  did  not  get  to  bed 
till  one  o'clock.  I  am  run  down  with  engagements 
and  scarcely  get  out  of  my  room  all  day." 

December  loth,  7  p.m. 
"  I  have  only  this  moment  finished  my  letter 
to  the  Legislature.  To-morrow,  or  day  after,  I 
expect  to  read  it  in  person  at  the  bar  of  the  House 
of  Representatives.  I  do  not  know  how  it  will 
be  received.  It  will  kill  or  cure.  The  letter  is 
very  much  complimented  by  the  few  to  whom  I 
have  submitted  it,  among  whom  are  the  best  men 
I  can  find  here ;  they  think  it  will  save  the  debt 
and  the  people.     The  fact    is,  the    State  is    on 

229 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

the    verge    of    repudiation,    but    they    have    not 
known  it." 

December  ii,  8  p.  m. 
"  I  delivered  my  letter  this  forenoon  to  the 
Governor,  who  transmitted  it  by  special  message 
to  the  two  Houses  this  afternoon.  I  was  there, 
and  the  Speaker,  by  the  unanimous  consent  of  the 
House,  invited  me  to  read  it  in  person,  which  I 
did.  The  lobby  was  pretty  full,  and  they  all  lis- 
tened with  profound  attention.  When  I  finished 
— it  took  just  an  hour — they  immediately  ordered 
a  thousand  copies  to  be  printed  for  the  use  of  the 
House,  which  shows  their  estimate,  as  one  hun- 
dred is  the  usual  number.  It  seems  to  have  met 
with  universal  approbation.  The  Rev.  Dr.  White, 
President  of  Wabash  College,  met  me  as  I  came 
out,  took  me  by  the  hand,  said  that  he  had  heard 
the  whole  of  it,  and  that  it  was  a  most  able  and 
statesmanlike  document.  He  seemed  perfectly- 
delighted.  The  Governor  was  present,  and 
though  he  had,  of  course,  read  it  through  before 
sending  it  in,  yet  sat  throughout  and  listened 
with  the  deepest  attention.  He  and  the  Speaker 
expressed    great    satisfaction,  and    said    that   the 

230 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

temper  and  spirit  of  it  were  most  unexceptionable, 
and  compliments  are  pouring  in  on  every  side. 
Indeed,  I  am  myself  surprised  at  the  manner  in 
which  it  has  been  received  and  the  effect  produced. 
"  My  bark,  is  now  fairly  launched,  and  though 
I  have  scarcely  a  hope  of  its  weathering  the  adverse 
blasts  which  I  hear  and  see  driving  all  around  me, 
yet  I  feel  persuaded  that  I  have  done  enough  to 
save  the  question  in  Indiana  at  another  session.  I 
will  send  you  the  document  itself  to-morrow  and 
you  will  read  and  judge  for  yourself.  All  the  com- 
pliments which  I  have  embodied  in  this  letter  are 
meant  for  you,  my  better  half,  and  I  hope  they 
will  not  make  you  vain.  My  head  is  not  quite 
turned,  but  it  aches  terribly  from  excitement,  and 
labor,  and  fatigue." 

The  letter '''  here  referred  to  is  too  long  and  too 
technical  to  find  a  place  in  this  memoir,  but  a  few 
extracts  will  show  the  temper  of  the  weapon  with 
which  Charles  Butler  fought  his  good  fight  in 
Indiana : 


*  Letter  of  Charles  Butler,  Esq.,  to  the  Legislature  of  Indiana 
in  relation  to  the  public  debt.  Indianapolis  :  Morrison  &  Spann, 
December,  1846. 


231 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


"  I  cannot  close  without  availing  myself  of  the 
occasion   to   present  a  few  of  the   considerations 
which  belong  to  this  great  subject,  involving,  as 
it    surely  does,  the   honor  of  the  State   and   the 
prosperity,  interests  and  welfare  of  its  eight  hun- 
dred thousand   population,  and  which,   it  would 
seem,  should  prompt  the  Legislature  to  take  im- 
mediate steps,  to  the  extent  of  her  ability,  for  the 
relief  of  her    foreign    bondholders.       It  will   be 
remembered  that  they  have  held  their  bonds  for  a 
long  period,  without  receiving  any  payment  from 
the  State,  and  the  effect  of  such  delay  is  to  render 
their  property    comparatively  valueless    in    their 
hands.      In  many  instances  parties  have  held  on 
without  submitting  to  the  enormous  sacrifice  which 
a  sale  would  involve,  hoping  for  speedy  relief  from 
the  State ;  and  in  such  cases,  if  they  can  only  be 
re-assured  by  the  payment  of  a  small  portion  of 
the  accruing  interest,  and  by  certain  provision  for 
the  future,  it  would  save  them  from  ruinous  sacri- 
fices and  enable  them  to    preserve  their  property. 
"  Next  to  the  payment  in  full  of  all   arrears,  is 
t\it fixing  the  time  when  it  will  be  paid;   in  other 
words,  certainty  is  the  thing  desired — it  is  the  un- 
certainty in  which  the  whole  subject  is  involved, 


232 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

and  the  consequent  inability  of  needy  holders  to 
make  any  certain  calculations,  that  adds  to  their 
unhappiness,  as  in  the  case  between  man  and  man. 
An  examination  would  show  that  the  bonds  of  In- 
diana, like  those  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  York, 
are  to  be  found  extensively  in  the  hands  of  trus- 
tees, guardians,  retired  and  aged  persons,  widows, 
and  others  whose  object  was  investment,  and  whose 
reliance  for  support  is  on  income.  Such,  with 
scarcely   an   exception,  is   the  class   I    represent. 

"The  State  cannot  be  constrained  to  make  pay- 
ment, in  any  manner,  at  the  will  of  the  holders  of 
her  bonds,  however  pressing  their  necessities  may 
be;  they  are  left  to  depend  entirely  for  the  fulfilment 
of  obligations,  upon  her  own  sense  of  honor  and 
justice.  In  the  exercise  of  her  sovereignty,  she  is 
the  sole  judge  of  her  own  ability,  and  it  might  be 
deemed  presumption  in  anyone,  even  a  creditor, 
to  question  her  integrity  and  disinterestedness  in 
deciding  on  the  question,  however  it  might  disap- 
point his  expectations,  and  however  variant  it 
might  be  from  his  own  estimate. 

"The  highest  evidence  which  can  be  given  of  the 
reliance  of  those  whom  I  represent,  on  the  honor 
and  faith  of  the  State,  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact 

^33 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


already  mentioned,  that  they  have  continued  to 
hold  the  bonds  from  the  period  of  their  purchase, 
prior  to  the  default  of  the  State,  down  to  the  pres- 
ent time.      It  is  true,  they  have  been  encouraged, 
from  time  to  time,  by  the  solemn  assurances  of  the 
people  of  Indiana,  speaking  through  their  Execu- 
tive and  Representatives,  of  their  intention  to  do 
justice  to  them  as  soon  as  they  should  have  the 
ability  ;   and  especially  by  the  emphatic  language 
of  the  joint  resolution,  adopted  by  the  Legislature 
of  1 844-45,  which  is  :   *  that  we  regard  the  slight- 
est breach  of  plighted  faith,  public  or  private,  as 
an  evidence  of  the  want  of  that  moral  principle 
upon  which  all  obligations  depend  ;  that  when  any 
State  in  this  Union  shall  refuse  to  recognize  her 
great  seal,  as  the  sufficient  evidence  of  her  obliga- 
tion, she  will  have  forfeited  her  station  in  the  sis- 
terhood of  States,  and  will  be  no  longer  worthy  of 
their    confidence    and    respect ;'    and  while    they 
ought  not  to  doubt  that  such  is  the  sentiment  of 
the  people  of  Indiana,  still  they  are  painfully  con- 
scious that  time  is  running  against  them,  that  in- 
terest is  accumulating,  and  that  with  the  increase 
of  debt  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  payment  will 
also  naturally  increase;  and  they  are  impressed  with 


234 


OF       C  H  A  RLES       BUTLER 

the  serious  conviction  that  the  neglect,  or  refusal 
on  the  part  of  the  State,  to  provide  for  the  pay- 
ment of  its  just  debts,  for  an  unreasonable  length 
of  time,  does  involve  all  the  practical  consequen- 
ces of  repudiation  to  the  holders  of  its  obligations 
and  to  the  people  themselves,  and  will  be  so  re- 
garded by  the  world  at  large. 

"  The  danger  of  this  tacit  or  passive  repudiation 
is  Increased  with  the  delay  ;  for  the  longer  it  is  suf- 
fered to  remain,  the  further  removed  it  is  from  the 
time  when  the  obligation  was  incurred,  and  when 
the  sense  of  it  was  fresh  ;  and  when  we  consider  the 
changing  character  of  the  population  of  all  the  new 
States,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  sense  of  obligation 
should  grow  weaker  and  weaker  with  the  lapse  of 
time.  Nor  is  it  surprising,  in  this  view  of  the  sub- 
ject, that  the  most  lively  apprehension  should  be 
indulged  by  persons  situated  like  those  I  represent, 
nor  that  they  should  be  importunate  with  your  Ex- 
cellency and  the  Legislature,  to  save  them  from 
such  a  possible  fate. 

"In  the  communication  which  I  have  the  honor 
to  make,  if  I  have  expressed  myself  too  strongly 
on  any  point,  or  if  I  have  seemed  to  fail  in  any 
particular  in  the  respect  which  is  due  from  me, 

235 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

either  to  your  Excellency  or  the  Legislature,  or 
the  people  of  Indiana,  I  beg  once  for  all  most  earn- 
estly to  disclaim  any  such  intention,  and  that  you 
will  attribute  it  to  my  anxiety  to  represent  faith- 
fully the  rights  and  expectations  of  those  who  have 
sent  me  on  this  mission,  and  who  cannot  be  pre- 
sumed from  the  relation  they  sustain  to  the  State, 
to  entertain  any  other  than  feelings  of  the  ut- 
most respect  for  its  public  authorities,  and  a  sin- 
cere desire  to  see  its  credit  established  on  the  most 
enduring  basis,  and  its  prosperity  thereby  secured." 

To  his  son  Mr.  Butler  wrote  the  next  day: 

Indianapolis,  December  12,  1845. 

Friday  evening,  7  o'clock. 
"  I  am  very  busy.  My  letter  to  the  Governor 
will  be  printed  to-morrow.  I  was  amused  at  a  re- 
mark of  one  of  the  plain  country  members,  who 
said  to  Mr.  Wright  that  there  *  was  first  a  little 
sugar,  then  a  little  soap,  then  sugar,  and  then 
soap,  and  it  was  sugar  and  soap  all  the  way 
through.'  Another  said  that  I  had  '  molassoed  ' 
it  well.  You  will  think  from  this  it  was  a  strange 
document,  but  the  critics  were  real  Hoosiers  and 
*  no  mistake,'  as  they  say  here.    At  any  rate,  they 

236 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

liked  it  well — for  maple  sugar  and  soap  and  ma- 
ple molasses,  you  will  understand,  are  three  of 
the  greatest  staples  in  this  country.  They  don't 
make  much  use  of  the  soap,  but  they  do  of  the 
sugar  and  molasses,  so  I  infer  from  it  that  they 
were  pleased.  Take  good  care  of  dear  mother 
and  Emmy  and  Anna.  I  will  see  if  I  can  find 
anything  curious  for  you  in  this  country.  I  go 
out  this  evening  to  the  Governor's  party.  I  go  as 
a  matter  of  business,  to  meet  with  the  people  and 
form  acquaintances." 

In  later  letters  he  wrote  to  his  wife : 

December  17,  1845. 
"  My  letter  has  been  referred  to  a  Joint  Com- 
mittee of  Twenty-four,  to  confer  with  me  on  the 
whole  subject,  and  this  committee  are  now  in  ses- 
sion and  adopting  their  preparatory  organization. 
In  so  large  a  committee  there  are,  of  course,  friends 
and  foes,  and  the  latter,  I  fear,  are  the  strongest, 
not  in  numbers,  but  in  power.  It  is  an  easy  thing 
to  make  mischief  and  they  are  now  trying,  as  I 
understand,  to  embarrass  the  question  by  object- 
ing to  my  authority  to  act  at  all,  which  is  quite 
ludicrous,  after  receiving  my  communication  and 

237 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

ordering  i,ooo  copies  to  be  printed.  This  is 
the  beginning  of  trouble  of  which  I  shall  have 
enough,  before  I  get  through.  But  I  mean,  if 
my  life  is  spared,  to  represent  the  bondholders 
faithfully  to  the  end.  The  people  have  now  got 
the  matter  presented  to  them  in  a  form  it  never 
was  before,  and  they  cannot  prevent  the  effect  of 
it.  I  expect  to-morrow  to  go  before  the  Sanhe- 
drim in  person,  and  the  discussions  are  to  be  oral. 
That  is,  I  am  to  be  permitted  to  make  my  prop- 
ositions and  accompany  them  with  oral  explana- 
tions, which  give  me  a  chance  to  say  all  I  want  to 
say,  and  to  lay  all  the  reasons  before  them.  It 
will  probably  be  public  also ;  and  the  matter  is  so 
novel  and  of  such  deep  public  interest  that  every- 
body is  looking  to  the  proceedings  of  the  com- 
mittee with  great  curiosity  and  interest." 

December  i8,  1845. 
"Your  letter  of  the  nth  inst.  was  received  last 
evening,  just  as  I  came  in  from  my  first  meeting 
with  the  committee.  The  question  of  authority 
is  yet  unsettled.  They  had  a  very  violent  debate 
and  fight  over  it.  I  declined  entering  into  any 
conference  with   them   till    they  had   settled   that 

238 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


question,  laying  before  them  such  credentials  as  I 
could,  and  then  I  withdrew.  The  committee  de- 
cided by  a  strong  vote  in  favor  of  my  power  and 
adjourned  to  meet  to-morrow  evening,  when  I  am 
to  appear  and  enter  on  the  discussion.  This 
morning  the  repudiators  raised  the  same  question 
in  the  Senate  and  an  ano;rv  debate  was  the  result. 
They  finally  adopted  a  resolution,  by  consent  of 
the  friends  of  public  credit,  calling  on  the  Gov- 
ernor for  information.  The  Governor  was  pres- 
ent during  the  discussion  and  will  send  in  the 
message  to-morrow.  This  will,  I  presume,  settle 
their  point ;  but  then  they  will  raise  others,  as  fast 
as  possible,  in  the  hope,  by  reason  of  the  short- 
ness of  the  session,  to  bluff  off  all  action." 

December  21,  1845. 
"  I  had  the  first  conference  with  the  committee 
on  Friday  evening,  and  addressed  them  two  hours 
in  connection  with  the  proposition  which  I  sub- 
mitted. I  succeeded  in  making  a  decided  im- 
pression ;  they  listened  with  the  deepest  interest. 
The  result  was  better  than  I  anticipated.  It  is  a 
formidable  business,  I  assure  you,  to  address  a 
body  of  twenty-four  men  on  so  great  and  grave  a 

239 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

subject,  and  with  the  eyes  of  the  whole  State  fixed 
on  us.  Our  meetings  are  private.  I  am  allowed 
a  reporter  and  clerk,  and  shall  have  every  word 
reported.  We  meet  again  to-morrow  evening.  I 
expect  to  occupy  about  three  evenings  this  week, 
and  about  three  hours  each  evening,  in  order  to 
go  over  all  the  points  and  submit  all  my  views." 

Indianapolis,  December  iiA. 
Monday  evening. 
"  I  closed  a  second  conference  with  the  Joint 
Committee  this  evening,  having  addressed  them 
just  two  and  a  half  hours.  The  impression  was 
evidently  very  favorable.  The  meeting  was  held 
in  the  Senate  chamber  and  was  altogether  inter- 
esting. The  truth  is,  the  subject  is  a  very  great 
one  with  the  people  of  Indiana,  and  this  proceed- 
ing has  given  to  it  great  prominence.  All  eyes 
are  now  directed  to  the  result  of  the  conference 
pending  between  the  State  and  its  public  credit- 
ors, the  latter  represented  by  me.  The  moment- 
ous question  of  the  public  debt  is  to  be  settled, 
and  the  foundations  laid  for  the  future  prosperity 
and  greatness  of  the  State.  The  theme  is  a  noble 
one  and  the  occasion  extraordinary.     Every  even- 


240 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

ing  thus  far  I  have  made  converts  in  the  commit- 
tee to  my  views,  so  that  the  friends  of  public 
credit  say  they  now  consider  the  House  safe,  and 
the  only  difficulty  is  in  the  Senate.  I  do  not 
know  how  this  is,  and  can  hardly  credit  it.  In 
the  committee  we  have  a  number  of  out-and-out 
repudiators,  violent  and  unreasonable  men,  and 
yet  they  have  listened  to  me  with  much  respect 
and  attention.  One  only  has  abandoned  the 
committee,  and  does  not  pretend  to  come.  The 
other  twenty-three  are  there  to  a  man,  and  a 
minute." 

Tuesday  afternoon. 
"  We  meet  again  this  evening,  when  I  proceed 
with  the  argument.  To-morrow  evening  I  ap- 
propriate especially  to  the  consideration  of  the 
bonds  which  it  is  proposed  to  repudiate,  amount- 
ing to  some  13,000,000  or  14,000,000.  This 
brings  up  the  whole  subject  of  repudiation,  and  is 
the  most  important  point  involved  in  the  discus- 
sion. It  is  profoundly  interesting,  and  I  feel  op- 
pressed with  the  weight  and  burden  of  it.  On  the 
result  depends  the  question  whether  the  State  will 
or  will  not  repudiate.    The  committee  will  decide 

»4i 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

that  question,  probably.  If  they  decide  against 
me,  I  shall  then  protest  and  ask  to  be  heard  at 
the  bar  of  the  House  ;  and  if  the  House  decide 
against  me,  I  shall  withdraw  the  proposals  and 
shake  the  dust  from  my  feet  and  go  home. 

"  The  enemy  will  rally  again.  My  committee 
meet  again  this  evening.  The  Governor  helped 
me  this  afternoon  by  a  message  to  the  Senate  in 
reply  to  a  resolution.  He  and  Mr.  Bright  go  in 
for  me  strong,  head  and  shoulders,  and  now  I 
have  a  strong  team,  indoors  and  out.  My  room 
is  run  down  with  people  constantly,  and  to-day  I 
have  done  nothing  but  see  company  and  make 
one  call  on  two  ladies.  One  of  them  is  the  wife  of 
a  leading  Senator,  whom  I  have  not  seen  yet,  but 
who  is  dead  against  me.  His  wife  I  got  all  right, 
in  an  hour's  talk  devoted  exclusively  to  the  sub- 
ject, and  she  goes  in  strong  for  my  plan.  I  made 
the  call  this  morning,  and  this  P.M.  the  Senator 
gave  a  vote  in  my  favor.  So  you  see  what  a  good 
wife  can  do  in  an  important  affair.  This  morning 
he  voted  against  me.  You  must  know  that  in  the 
Senate  they  have  had  me  on  the  coals  for  about  a 
week  hot  enough.  The  Legislature  will  adjourn 
by  the  15th  of  January." 

242 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 

Christmas  Eve,  After  lo  o'clock. 
"  I   have  at    this    moment    returned  from  the 
fourth  and  last  conference  of  the  Joint  Committee. 
I  spoke  with  entire  freedom  for  a  period  of  three 
and  a  half  hours,  and  the  committee  listened  with 
deep  attention  and  interest  during  the  whole  time. 
The  theme  was  repudiation.   That  is  the  question, 
raised  distinctly  in   regard   to  from  three  to  four 
millions  of  dollars  of  the  State  bonds.      I    never 
satisfied  myself  better  in  speaking  than  I  did  this 
evening,  and  I  was  gratified  to  find   my   remarks 
seemed  to  be  received  with  decided  favor.     The 
meetings  are   held    in    the  Senate  chamber,  and 
this  evening  the  committee  allowed  a  number  of 
gentlemen  to  come  in  to  listen  to  the  discussion. 
The  mode  of  procedure  is  for  the  chairman  to 
take  the  president's  chair  in  the  Senate  and  call 
the  committee  to  order;  the  minutes  of  the  last 
meeting  are  then  read  over,  the  names  of  the  Joint 
Committee  called,  and,  if  all  appear,  then  the  chair- 
man announces    to  me  the  organization  of  the 
committee  and  their  readiness  to  have  me  proceed 
with  my  remarks.     The  committee  occupy  seats 
directly  in  front  of  me  and  my  address  is  to  them. 
Last  evening  I  spoke  about  an  hour  and  a  quarter. 

243 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

"Thus  far  every  evening  I  have  made  one  or 
more  converts  to  our  side,  and  this  evening  I  was 
informed  by  the  chairman  of  the  House  Committee 
that  there  was  but  one  man  on  his  committee 
now  wrong,  and  that  one  was  Mr.  Carr  who  has 
been  an  out-and-out  repudiator.  Mr.  Carr, 
however,  remarked,  when  I  got  through  this  even- 
ing, that  he  could  not  have  beHeved  that  he  ever 
would  sit  so  long  and  hear  a  speech,  every  word 
of  which  rasped  his  feelings.  Still  he  did  it,  and 
evidently  was  greatly  interested.  I  can  hardly 
credit  it  that  such  a  change  has  taken  place  in  the 
House  Committee.  A  week  ago  it  seemed  in- 
credible, nor  do  I  now  believe  it.  My  friends 
were  completely  down  at  the  heel  and  thought  the 
Speaker  had  given  them  the  worst  committee  he 
could  possibly  have  made  up.  I  think  it  will 
turn  out  a  good  committee  yet.  There  are  seven 
farmers  on  it  and  five  lawyers  and  doctors.  The 
Senate  is  now  the  hardest  body ;  they  have  a  set 
of  low  blackguards  in  it  who  have,  ever  since  I 
came  here,  made  a  dead  set  at  me,  and  are  con- 
stantly raising  questions.  They  want  to  prevent 
all  action,  some  from  one  cause  and  some  from 
another.     They  wish  to  stifle  the  movement,  but 

244 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

it  will  go  on  by  force  of  its  own  intrinsic,  mighty- 
moral  power,  and  I  yet  have  hope.  It  is  indeed 
a  missionary  enterprise." 

December  25,  1845,  quarter  past  11  P.  M. 
"  This  has  been   no   holiday  to  me ;  the  Joint 
Committee   met  this  morning  at  nine,  and  again 
this  afternoon  at  three,  and  we  have  been  hard  at 
work  all  day,  diplomatically  passing  notes.   What 
the  result    will  be    I    do    not  know.     Governor 
Whitcomb  and   Mr.  Lane,   the   chairman,  spent 
some  time  with   me  this   morning.     I    have  yet 
another  proposition  to  be  submitted  in  the  morn- 
ing, which  I  hope  will  be  accepted.     It  is  a  des- 
perate   business    all    around.      Nobody    can    tell 
anything  about  it,  or  form   any  correct  opinion, 
who  is  not  familiar  with  the  whole  ground.     I  do 
not  know  that  anything  satisfactory  can  be  done  ; 
and  if  it  goes  on,  the  danger  is  that  it  will  be  worse 
than  it  now  is.    My  speech  last  evening  did  good 
and  made  friends,  and  stirred  up  enemies,  and  the 
two  parties  are  arranging  themselves  actively  for 
a  real  cat  fight.     They  get  so  angry  at  each  other 
that  I  have  to  keep  advising  them  to  keep  cool. 
Yesterday  P.  M.  they   had  a  most  angry  debate 

245 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

in  the  Senate,  and  I  came  in  for  a  full  share,  one 
Senator  calling  me  a  Wall  Street  broker,  etc.  .  .  ." 

Friday  evening,  lo  o'clock. 

"  I  could  not  find  time  to  finish  my  letter  and 
send  it  off  by  the  mail  this  evening,  which  I  re- 
gret, as  I  fear  you  will  not  get  it  by  New  Year's 
day.  I  am  so  driven  night  and  day  that  I  hardly 
know  how  the  time  runs.  This  has  been  a  day 
of  great  excitement.  In  the  first  place,  the  Joint 
Committee  adjourned  over  to  this  evening  at  six, 
to  receive  a  final  proposition  from  me — an  ulti- 
matum. At  the  same  time  a  desperate  movement 
was  made  in  the  Senate  to  revoke  the  powers  of  the 
committee.  The  repudiators,  it  was  feared,  would 
carry  the  point  this  afternoon,  and  my  friends 
were  speaking  against  time,  so  as  to  prevent  its 
coming  to  a  vote  to-day.  Just  then,  about  3 
P.  M.,  while  the  war  was  going  on  hot  in  the 
Senate  chamber  and  I  was  busy  in  my  room  at 
the  hotel  preparing  my  ultimatum,  an  alarm  of 
fire  was  given  on  the  floor  on  which  my  room  is 
— third  story. 

"  The  fire  was  extinguished,  but  it  made  a  ter- 
rible  muss  and  confusion  all   the  afternoon.      It 

246 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

saved  my  friends,  however,  in  the  Senate,  and  this 
evening  I  proceeded  to  meet  the  committee  in  the 
Senate  chamber,  and  to  deliver  my  ultimatum  in 
person.  You  can  have  no  conception  of  the  in- 
terest felt  on  the  subject ;  the  friends  of  the  canal 
and  the  friends  of  public  credit  all  hanging  in  the 
deepest  suspense  upon  the  issue.  The  committee 
had  rejected  my  proposition  yesterday,  and  now 
they  were  apprehensive  that  nothing  would  or 
could  be  done,  and  a  feeling  of  despondency  and 
restless  gloom  was  creeping  over  them.  I  found 
a  large  number  of  spectators  present,  to  my  sur- 
prise, expecting  to  have  a  secret  session  with  them, 
and  entertaining  doubts  as  to  the  propriety  of 
submitting  my  proposition  to  any  except  the  com- 
mittee in  private — for  its  rejection  might  be  in- 
jurious, equally  to  the  public  credit  and  the  public 
creditors.  I  hesitated  about  going  on,  for  the 
step  I  was  about  to  take  involved  a  great  per- 
sonal responsibility.  The  result  I  had  come  to 
had  not  been  without  inward  groans  and  conflicts, 
but  it  was  the  only  chance,  and  the  time  had  come 
for  a  bold  step  that  would  settle  it  one  way  or  the 
other — for  weal  or  for  woe.  I  concluded  to  take 
no  exception  to  the  presence  of  others,  and  pro- 

247 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

ceeded  in  introducing  my  proposition  with  re- 
marks which  occupied  half  an  hour,  and  then 
read  and  explained  it.  The  effect  was  electrical ; 
and  if  I  can  judge,  it  really  routed  the  last  hold 
of  the  enemy.  One  man,  a  Senator  who  has  been 
exceedingly  bitter  and  personal  in  his  opposition 
— so  much  so  that  my  friends  have  christened 
him  with  the  nick-name  of  *  Tallow  Face  ' — said 
that  he  could  not  go  against  that. 

"  The  friends  of  the  canal  and  public  credit  on 
the  committee  had  not  one  of  them  anticipated 
the  proposition  I  submitted,  and  it  took  them  by 
surprise.  It  met  their  most  sanguine  expectations 
— indeed,  they  had  not  dreamed  that  I  would 
make  one  so  liberal  and  fair — and  they  were  over- 
whelmed, whilst  the  enemy  scattered  in  every 
direction.  They  may  rally,  however,  again,  for 
it  is  impossible  that  it  should  pass  in  any  shape 
without  a  great  fight.  But  I  think  I  have  placed 
its  friends  on  the  vantage  ground." 

Saturday  evening,  27th  December. 
"  I  add  a  few  words  at  the  close  of  the  day  and 
week.      I  can  scarcely  realize  that  we  are  so  near 
the  end  of  the  year,  and  that  this  will   not  reach 

248 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 

you  till  the  year  1846.  I  am  so  driven  and  hur- 
ried with  important  matters  that  I  cannot  think. 
To-day  the  friends  of  the  canal  and  the  public 
credit  have  been  in  a  perfect  glee — as  though  the 
question  were  now  settled,  Indiana  redeemed  and 
the  canal  finished.  They  already  talk  of  illumi- 
nations, bonfires  and  cannon,  but  I  tell  them  to 
keep  cool,  the  battle  is  yet  to  be  fought." 

December  28,  1845. 
"  I  have  been  under  such  high  pressure,  both 
mental  and  physical,  the  last  week,  that  I  felt  the 
need  of  the  Sabbath  very  much.  I  have  just  been 
interrupted  by  a  member,  coming  to  talk  about 
the  great  business.  I  fear  this  day  has  been 
devoted  to  it  altogether  by  the  members  of  the 
Legislature.  It  excites  such  a  deep  and  thrilling 
interest  they  can't  talk  or  think  of  anything  else. 
And  the  time  is  so  short  that  they  say  they  must 
keep  at  it  on  Sunday.  I  was  amused  last  Sunday 
when  a  Senator  came  to  see  and  talk  with  me, 
and  I  declined  talking  with  him  about  it,  and  he 
remarked  that  he  thought  '  that  it  was  like  lifting 
the  ox  out  of  the  gutter,'  and  that  it  was  a  work 
of  necessity  and  mercy ;  and  so,  in  truth,  it  is.     I 

249 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

have  thought  and  felt  so  myself,  and  this  rough 
Hoosier  is  right. 

"  Governor  Whitcomb  came  in  this  morning 
and  spent  an  hour  with  me  on  the  subject,  regard- 
ing it  in  its  moral  aspect.  He  goes  in,  heart  and 
soul,  for  me,  and  so  does  Mr.  Bright.  They  are 
in  fine  spirits,  and  it  really  looks  as  if  Providence 
designed  that  it  should  be  settled.  Still,  I  can 
hardly  realize  it,  and  I  do  know  that  there  must 
be  a  terrible  fight  over  it,  for  the  opposition  is 
very  violent  and  active.  *  The  lot  is  cast  into 
the  lap,  and  the  whole  disposing  thereof  is  of  the 
Lord.'  It  is  with  Him,  and  He  only  knows  how 
and  when  it  is  to  end." 

January  i,  1846,  Thursday,  10  a.  m. 
"  The  day  here  is  anything  but  a  holiday. 
The  Legislature  sits,  the  Joint  Committee  sits, 
as  on  any  other  day.  It  was  the  intention  to  in- 
troduce the  report  of  the  committee  and  the  bill 
accompanying  it  into  the  House  to-day  as  an 
auspicious  coincidence — the  beginning  of  the  New 
Year  and  of  a  New  Era  in  the  history  of  the 
State.  God  has  wonderfully  blessed  me  and 
prospered   my  labors.     Still,  I  do  not  count  on 

250 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

entire  success.  The  time  is  too  short  for  so  great 
a  work.  A  wonderful  change  is  coming  over  the 
people  and  public  sentiment  is  rolling  in  from 
every  quarter  in  favor  of  the  settlement  on  the 
plan  last  proposed  by  me,  and  the  demagogues 
are  getting  dreadfully  frightened.  My  letter,  I 
find,  meets  the  feelings  of  the  people.  They  like 
it,  and  it  is  interesting  to  read  the  comments 
of  country  papers  on  it.  Mr.  Chapman,  the 
Senator  who  has  been  so  violent  and  vindictive 
against  me  and  the  object,  has  been  instructed  by 
an  overwhelming  meeting  of  the  Democrats  in  his 
town  and  county  to  support  the  bill,  and  they 
have  rebuked  him  terribly  for  his  course. 

"  P.  S. — I  now  close  my  letter  and  go  to  the 
bill  to  finish  it.  The  bill  and  report  will  come 
in  to-morrow,  id  of  January,  and  then  comes  the 
tug  of  war.  The  time,  I  fear,  is  too  short  to 
carry  it." 

January  4,  1846. 

"  I  returned  an  hour  since  from  the  evening 

meeting,  and  then  took  a  walk  for  exercise.     On 

my   return   to   my   room.    Governor   Whitcomb 

came  in  and  has  this  moment  left,  so  that  I  shall 

251 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

write  you  very  briefly  to-night.  Mr.  Beecher* 
preached  an  admirable  sermon,  bearing  on  the 
great  question  pending  before  the  Legislature,  to 
a  full  house  containing  a  large  number  of  mem- 
bers. I  was  up  till  twelve  last  night  at  work  on 
the  bill.  It  was  reported  yesterday  to  both 
branches  of  the  Legislature  by  the  unanimous 
consent  of  the  committee.  Still,  I  regard  its  final 
success  as  involved  in  doubt.  The  Legislature 
has  passed  a  resolution  to  adjourn  two  weeks 
from  to-morrow,  and  there  does  not  seem  to  me 
to  be  time  enough  to  get  so  great  a  measure 
through  the  Legislature.  And  yet  there  may 
be.    It  is  now  the  absorbing  topic  with  all  parties." 

January  9,  1846,  Friday  evening,  11:30. 
"  I  am  almost  fagged  out  with  the  excitement 
and  labor  of  the  week,  and  cannot  realize  that  it 
is  Friday  evening.  I  console  myself  with  the  re- 
flection that  in  a  few  days  more  my  work  will 
be  at  an  end,  as  the  Legislature  will  have  closed 
its  labors.  A  week  from  Monday  next  they  ad- 
journ. My  bill  has  been  in  the  hands  of  a 
select  committee  for  amendment,  and  I  have  just 


*  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  then  pastor  of  Presbyterian  Church  at 
Indianapolis. 


252 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

closed  my  labors  with  them  and  agreed  to  the 
amendments.  I  cannot  give  you  any  idea  of  my 
labors  here.  They  are  greater  than  anything  I 
ever  before  undertook  and  more  various.  I  have 
to  talk  with  and  see  the  members,  have  to  take 
care  of  the  printers,  superintend  the  press — for  I 
am  printing  a  book  on  my  own  hook — attend  on 
committees,  keep  in  with  the  Whigs  and  Demo- 
crats, counsel  and  advise  both  parties  and  all  par- 
ties, and  be  all  things  to  all  men.  Above  all,  I 
have  to  keep  my  temper,  which  is  the  hardest 
work  of  all.  My  friends  give  me  a  great  deal  of 
trouble  about  the  bill,  some  of  them  ;  they  quar- 
rel about  the  details  and  kick  out  of  the  traces. 
1  have  had  at  least  a  dozen  serious  flare-ups, 
among  its  friends,  on  one  point  or  another ;  then 
I  had  to  go  to  each  one  and  reason  with  him,  or 
get  them  all  together  and  make  a  speech  to  them. 
Sometimes  one  thing,  and  sometimes  another. 
Yesterday  the  Democrats  held  their  convention, 
and  to-day  the  Whigs. 

"  Well,  I  have  had  to  manage  with  the  leaders 
of  both  to  get  them  to  go  right  on  the  State  debt, 
and  last  night  I  gave  up  almost  in  despair  at  the 
result  of  the  Democratic  convention.  They  nomi- 

253 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

nated  Whitcomb  again  unanimously  and  by  ac- 
clamation, but  quarreled  about  the  resolutions  and 
address  on  the  State  debt.  However,  it  passed 
off  finally  pretty  well,  and  this  morning  I  waked 
up  feeling  that,  on  the  whole,  it  had  done  good. 
To-day  the  Whigs  held  their  convention  and 
nominated,  and  took  decided  ground  on  the  State 
debt,  by  way  of  gaining  on  the  Democrats,  and 
to-night  Whigs  and  Democrats  feel  pretty  strong 
on  the  subject,  and  things  look  better.  Both 
parties  are  pledged  to  the  proposition,  and  my 
hope  is  that  now  the  Legislature  will  act.  Still, 
the  time  is  short  and  they  are  afraid,  and  I  think 
the  only  form  in  which  it  can  be  carried  will  be  to 
agree  that  the  act  itself  shall  be  submitted  to  the 
people  at  the  next  election,  to  vote  on  law  or  no 
law." 

Saturday  evening,  January  loth. 
"  My  bill  is  set  down  for  Monday  certain,  when 
the  discussion  comes  on.  My  friends  are  in  the 
highest  state  of  anxiety  and  excitement,  and  can 
hardly  keep  their  senses.  I  have  just  closed  a  con- 
ference of  two  hours,  with  the  Democratic  nom- 
inee for   Lieutenant-Governor,  and   had  a  similar 

254 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

conference  with  Governor  Whitcomb  to-day,  of 
more  than  two  hours,  adjusting  proceedings.  Now 
I  have  to  go  and  look  after  my  Whig  friends,  and 
see  how  they  stand.  I  never  was  quite  in  such  a 
fix  as  I  am  here.  The  country  papers,  with  one 
or  two  exceptions,  speak  out  manfully,  and  I  am 
encouraged  by  good  men  of  both  parties." 

Saturday,  lo  January,  12  o'clock. 
"It  is  now  exactly  12  o'clock,  and  Governor 
Whitcomb  has  this  moment  left  me.  He  called  a 
private  caucus  of  the  Democratic  Senators  this 
evening,  for  the  purpose  of  getting  them  to  agree 
to  go  as  one  man,  for  the  Bill,  and  took  very  de- 
cided, indeed  very  earnest  and  pressing  ground, 
and  told  them  that  he  was  committed  for  it,  that 
it  was  a  great  and  honest  measure,  and  one  which 
the  Democrats  should  go  for  as  a  party.  That  he 
was  willing  to  go  to  the  stump  on  it,  and  to  peril 
his  poHtical  fortunes  on  the  issue,  and  wanted  his 
friends  to  take  bold  and  decided  ground,  and  go 
shoulder  to  shoulder.  That  it  was  a  question  of 
simple  honesty,  and  they  could  not,  as  honest 
men,  resist  it ;  they  must  go  for  it.  It  had  a  very 
happy  effect,  and  some  of  the  most  stubborn  were 

*55 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

melted  down,  and  came  in  at  once  and  agreed  to 
go  for  it.  They  finally  agreed  to  have  another 
meeting  on  Monday  evening,  and  my  hope  is  that 
nearly  all,  if  not  all,  the  Democratic  senators  will 
support  it.  The  candidate  for  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor is  equally  anxious,  and  will  attend  the  meet- 
ing on  Monday  evening  and  take  the  same  ground. 
If  this  movement  succeeds,  it  will  insure  the  pas- 
sage of  the  Bill  next  week.  I  have  been  all  the 
evening  engaged  with  the  Committee  again  on 
amendments,  and  have  now  settled  all  so  that  on 
Monday  the  battle  will  come  off." 

Sunday  evening,  January  nth. 
"It  is  now  precisely  12  again,  and  I  have  this 
moment  parted  from  Governor  Whitcomb,  and 
Mr.  Bright,  with  whom  I  have  been  engaged  the 
last  hour.  As  in  Revolutionary  times  there  are 
no  Sabbaths,  so  it  seems  to  be  here  in  '  debt  pay- 
ing '  times.  Governor  Whitcomb  and  Mr.  Bright 
work  night  and  day,  day  in  and  day  out ;  the 
Governor  said  he  could  not  sleep  at  all,  and  as  the 
question  may  be  decided  to-morrow  and  must  be 
next  day  at  the  furthest,  and  the  difficulties  are  so 
great,  that  it  demands  the  uttermost  exertion  from 

256 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

the  friends  of  public  credit  to  carry  it,  the  Gov- 
ernor called  a  caucus  this  evening  of  all  the  oppos- 
ing Democratic  members  of  the  House  to  confer 
with  them,  and  see  if  he  couldn't  get  them  to  agree 
to  support  it,  and  he  and  Mr.  Bright  discussed  it 
all  the  evening.  The  meeting  had  a  good  effect, 
but  they  are  very  stubborn  and  the  result  is  un- 
certain. They  say  it  is  proper  Sunday  work,  that 
it  is  lifting  the  ox  out  of  the  gutter.  To-morrow 
— I  might  say  to-day,  for  it  is  now  twenty  minutes 
after  12 — the  question  will  be  taken,  probably  to 
decide  it.  I  cannot  but  admire  Governor  Whit- 
comb's  decision  and  effort — he  has  taken  the  only 
true  ground.  He  is  resolved  that  it  shall  go,  if 
any  effort  or  influence  of  his  can  insure  it,  and  he 
is  a  host  when  he  takes  hold." 

Monday  Evening,  7  P.  M. 
"  I  threw  down  my  pen  this  morning  to  go  and 
see  the  Governor.  The  day  has  been  a  busy  one. 
The  bill  was  put  off  till  to-morrow  10  o'clock,  and 
referred  back  to  the  Committee,  and  is  now  in  my 
hands  for  amendments.  It  will  certainly  come  on 
to-morrow ;  its  fate  is  doubtful.  This  even- 
ing the   Governor  has  called  all  his  Democratic 

257 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

friends  together  to  a  caucus  to  confer  with  them 
again,  and  its  fate  will  be  sealed  one  way  or  the 
other.  He  and  Mr.  Bright  have  just  left  me  to 
go  to  the  meeting.  The  Governor  seemed  com- 
pletely worn  out  and  complained  of  indisposition, 
and  I  sent  out  for  a  bottle  of  champagne  for  him, 
and  gave  him  a  glass,  which  he  said  tasted  good, 
and  revived  him.  I  told  him  to  take  the  bottle 
along  to  the  Capitol,  which  he  did.  You  will 
laugh  at  this,  I  am  sure.  I  couldn't  help  laughing 
myself.  I  shall  in  this  campaign  lay  up  a  fund 
of  laughter  to  serve  me  for  a  lifetime.  It  is 
the  queerest  and  still  the  greatest  business  I 
ever  had  on  hand.  It  is  a  regular  set-to,  and  calls 
into  exercise  the  most  skillful  tactics  and  diplo- 
macy. I  think  that  the  Governor,  Mr.  Bright 
and  myself  make  a  strong  team ;  still  we  may  not 
be  able  to  carry  it.  We  can  only  count  on,  as 
yet,  forty-five  certain  in  the  House  ;  we  must 
have  fifty.  It  is  close  counting,  and  of  course 
the  result  is  uncertain.  Governor  Whitcomb  has 
taken  the  most  manly  and  decided  course  through- 
out, and  more  than  sustained  his  pledges  to  me, 
and  so  has  Mr.  Bright.  I  have  no  time  to  add 
more." 

258 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

Monday  night,  12th  January,  1846. 
"  It  is  now  half-past  twelve,  and  Mr.  Bright 
has  just  come  in  from  the  Democratic  caucus  and 
reports  that  they  have,  by  a  very  large  vote,  de- 
cided on  passing  the  bill,  with  a  proviso  to  submit 
it  to  the  people  to  decide  at  the  August  election 
whether  it  shall  be  a  law  or  not,  the  people  to  vote 
directly  for  it.  This  course  of  the  Democrats  will 
ruin  the  party  and  put  the  bill  in  jeopardy,  and 
devolves  on  me  a  terrible  responsibility.  The 
question  with  me  is,  am  I  at  liberty  to  incur  so 
great  a  risk  as  the  loss  of  the  entire  public  debt  by 
this  course  ?  Ought  I  not  to  withdraw  my  pro- 
posal, and  thus  let  the  bill  fall  to  the  ground  ? 
Suppose  the  people  should  vote  against  it;  that 
would  forever  destroy  the  hopes  of  the  bondhold- 
ers ;  and  as  the  members  of  the  Legislature  dis- 
trust the  people,  ought  I  not  to  distrust  them? 
The  great  objection  that  strikes  my  mind  is  that 
it  is  impossible  for  the  people  In  so  short  a  time 
to  make  themselves  acquainted  with  the  details  of 
the  bill,  and  they  will  quarrel  about  the  details." 

Tuesday,  13  th,  1  P.  M. 
"  The  battle  commenced  this  morning  at  ten, 

259 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

and  is  now  on.  Have  had  six  or  seven  speeches, 
pro  and  con.  The  discussion  is  on  the  amend- 
ment to  submit  it  to  the  vote  of  the  people  at  the 
August  election.  I  cannot  predict  the  fate  of  the 
amendment ;  I  hope  it  will  not  prevail.  If  it 
does  I  may  feel  constrained  to  withdraw  my  pro- 
position altogether.  I  dare  not  risk  the  loss  of  the 
whole." 

7  P.  M. 

"  The  battle  is  closed  for  the  day ;  the  House 
has  just  adjourned.  The  vote  on  the  amendment 
was  taken  and  rejected,  ^gto  41.  This  weakening 
insures  the  passage  of  the  bill  through  the  House 
to-morrow.  The  debate  to-day  was  very  exciting, 
and  some  good  speeches  were  made  on  both  sides. 
Some  very  fine  ones  on  our  side,  and  some  very 
bad  ones  on  the  other  side.  The  minority  are 
very  much  excited,  and  a  violent  effort  will  be 
made  yet  to  defeat  it  on  its  final  vote  to-morrow. 
The  time  is  very  short  and  we  may  lose  it.  I  had 
made  up  my  mind  to  withdraw  the  proposition 
if  they  had  added  the  amendment.  I  dared  not 
take  the  responsibility  of  the  risk  involved 
in  the  submission,  though  it  might  be  small.     I 

260 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


have  no  time  to  add  more,  I  am  too  pressed  to 
think." 


January  14,  1846,  7:15  P.  M. 
"  After  a  most  desperate  battle  all  day  we  closed 
this  evening  with  a  complete  victory,  ^6  to  30. 
The  question  taken  last  evening  was  reconsidered 
to-day  by  a  very  large  vote,  and  the  bill  was  in 
great  danger,  under  a  furious  debate,  until  6  P.M., 
when  the  vote  was  taken  as  above.  At  3  P.M. 
I  had  to  make  a  further  concession,  which  was 
thrown  in  at  the  very  crisis  of  its  fate,  and  created 
a  terrible  commotion.  To-morrow  we  shall  have 
another  fight,  and  a  final  one,  and  then  we  have 
to  go  through  the  Senate.  The  Governor  and 
Mr.  Bright  and  several  others  have  come  in  and 
my  room  is  thronged.  My  friends  are  in  fine 
spirits,  but  I  do  not  yet  count  on  success.  The 
vote  of  last  evening  was  revolutionized  so  suddenly 
this  morning  as  to  preclude  certainty.  I  have  no 
time  to  write." 

January  15th. 
"  The  bill  passed  through  the  house  to-day  by 
a  vote  of  61  to  33,  nearly   2   to   i,  after  another 

z6i 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

furious  onslaught  on  me.  The  bill  will  be  killed 
in  the  Senate,  in  spite  of  every  effort,  by  the  un- 
reasonable and  absurd  notions  of  some  Senators  and 
the  shameful  conduct  of  others." 

Friday,  7  P.  M. 
1 6th  of  January,  1846. 
"At  the  close  of  one  of  the  most  exciting  and 
trying  days  of  my  life,  I  am  happy  to  say  that  the 
bill  was  ordered  to  a  third  reading  in  the  Senate 
this  evening  by  a  vote  of  31  to  18.  The  de- 
bate was  most  violent  and  exciting,  and  the 
conflict  a  long  time  doubtful.  I  had  to  yield  to 
some  amendments  again,  which  are  to  some  ex- 
tent objectionable,  but  not  fatal.  The  great 
question  is  settled.  The  bill  is  now,  I  think, 
beyond  danger.  It  will  be  concurred  in  by  the 
House  to-morrow  and  signed  by  the  Governor 
on  Monday,  the  last  day  of  the  session.  The 
Governor,  by  the  way,  was  taken  very  sick  this 
morning  in  my  room,  and  was  obliged  to  go  to 
bed,  and  has  been  unable  to  leave  it  since.  He 
has  been  removed  this  evening  into  an  adjoining 
room,  where  he  lies  very  ill  with  a  pleuritic  at- 
tack.    I  verily  believe  that  his  labors  and  anxie- 

262 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 

ties  for  this  measure  have  made  him  sick.  I 
am  almost  sick  myself  with  a  severe  cold  which 
has  come  within  the  last  thirty-six  hours,  and 
just  during  the  most  trying  crisis  of  my  business." 
The  opponents  of  the  bill  resorted  to  many 
political  tricks  to  prevent  its  passage.  On  one 
occasion  when  a  majority  in  its  favor  seemed 
probable,  the  opposition  tried  to  prevent  a  vote 
by  persuading  Senators  to  absent  themselves  so  as 
to  prevent  a  quorum.  One  Senator  sent  his 
family  off  homeward  in  a  carriage,  protesting  that 
he  meant  to  stay  and  do  his  duty  by  voting,  and 
the  next  moment  slid  off  himself  on  horse-back, 
by  a  back  road,  after  them.  Three  or  four  Sena- 
tors tried  to  escape  in  open  wagons,  in  a  pouring 
rain,  and  were  ignominiously  haled  back  by  the 
Sergeant-at-Arms.  One  grave  and  elderly  Sena- 
tor was  caught  hiding  on  the  back  stairs  of  the 
Capitol.  At  another  time,  the  bill  was  saved 
by  a  quorum  secured  at  the  last  moment  by  a 
Senator,  who  wished  to  vote  against  it,  and,  there- 
fore, insisted  upon  being  carried  on  his  sick-bed 
to  the  Capitol ;  so  that,  as  Hotspur  would  have 
said,  "  Out  of  this  nettle,  danger,  was  plucked 
this  flower,  safety." 

263 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

On  January  17th  Mr.  Butler  wrote: 

Indianapolis,  17th  of  January,  1846. 
"  My  labors  have  been  crowned  with  complete 
success.  The  public  credit  of  Indiana  is  restored 
and  her  bondholders  provided  for.  The  progress 
of  the  measure,  from  its  inception,  has  been  won- 
derful and  sure,  but  every  step  has  been  contested 
inch  by  inch,  and  every  possible  measure  has  been 
taken  to  defeat  it.  The  last  and  most  des- 
perate took  place  on  Thursday  night,  when 
eleven  Senators  entered  into  a  solemn  pledge 
in  writing  with  each  other,  that  if  the  question 
on  the  passage  of  the  bill  was  forced  on  them,  they 
would  leave  their  seats  in  the  Senate  and  break  up 
a  quorum,  and  so  defeat  the  bill.  This  pledge 
was  signed  by  eleven,  taking  in  leading  men  in  the 
Senate,  chiefly  Whigs.  A  friend  of  the  bill,  an 
honorable  Whig  Senator,  happened  to  go  into  the 
room  where  the  caucus  had  been  held  at  a  very 
late  hour,  and  just  as  it  had  broken  up.  Taking 
his  seat  by  the  table,  his  eye,  unwittingly,  rested 
on  the  paper  which  had  been  signed  and  incau- 
tiously left  on  the  table.  He  seemed  not  to  notice 
it,  but  read  it  over  carefully,  with  the  names,  and 

264 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


when  he  retired  from  the  room  immediately  com- 
mitted to  paper  the  substance  of  the  pledge,  with 
the   names  of  the   Senators.     While  he    sat  near 
the  table,  and  after  he  had  thus  become  possessed 
of  the  facts,  Mr.  Holloway  (the  Senator  in  whose 
room  it  took  place)  noticed  the  paper  lying  there, 
and  slyly  put  out   his  hand  and  turned  it  over, 
Mr.  Coffin  not  seeming  to  notice  it.      The  detec- 
tion of  this  conspiracy  gave  our  friends  a  decided 
advantage;  they   kept  it   strictly    to   themselves 
and  when  the  discussion  came  on,  yesterday,  they 
watched  the  movements  of  the  conspirators  closely. 
The  latter  interposed  every  possible  obstacle  and 
amendment,  and  bye  and  bye  one  of  the  leading 
Senators  got  up,  and  in  the  course  of  his  speech 
alluded  to    the  combination,    which    produced  a 
great  sensation.     He  was    called    upon    to  give 
names,  the  principal  parties  being  the  most  vocif- 
erous.    The  Senator  on  the  floor  said  the  infor- 
mation had  been  given  to  him  confidentially  by  a 
Senator  who  was  within  sound  of  his  voice,  and 
with  his  consent  he  would  give  the  names.      Mr. 
Coffin  immediately  arose  and  promptly  cried  out, 
*  /  am  the  hoy^ 

"  Of  course  this  electrified  the  Senate  and  audi- 


265 


THE     LIFE      AND     LETTERS 

ence,  and  he  then  told  the  story  most  inimitably 
and  let  the  cat  out  of  the  bag.  Such  a  scene  of 
confusion  and  excitement  followed  as  was  both 
amusing  and  distressing.  The  object  of  the  expo- 
sition was  to  save  those  Senators  who  were  really 
honest,  and  knew  nothing  of  the  desperate  inten- 
tions of  the  party,  from  being  drawn  into  them, 
and  this  effect  it  had,  and  saved  the  bill.  Every 
amendment  was  voted  down,  and  the  bill  passed 
by  a  vote  of  31  to  18,  and  to-day  a  larger  vote, 
32  to  15,  and  one  friend  out.  Another  exciting 
passage  occurred  on  Thursday  afternoon.  Mr. 
Buel,  a  leading  Senator  in  opposition,  offered  an 
amendment,  requiring  one-half  of  all  the  bonds  to 
be  surrendered  and  cancelled  before  the  act  should 
take  effect.  This  amendment  I  was  unwilling  to 
assent  to,  as  it  came  from  the  extreme  left,  that  is, 
from  the  ultra-opponents  of  the  bill,  and  the  ob- 
ject was,  of  course,  to  defeat  it.  This  amendment 
was  offered  to  the  Senate  bill,  which  they  had  un- 
der discussion  when  the  House  bill  was  reported. 
This  last  bill  was  then  agreed  to  be  taken  up 
yesterday  morning,  and  when  it  came  up  Mr. 
Buel  offered  what  was  stated  and  supposed  to  be 
the  same  amendment  (it  was  notread)  to  the  House 

266 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 

bill.  The  discussion  on  it  was  very  warm,  and  I 
had,  at  the  instance  of  Mr.  Bright,  told  Mr.  Lane 
that  he  might  agree  to  the  proposition  of  Mr. 
Buel,  especially  as  it  appeared  that  it  would  satisfy 
nearly  half  the  Senate,  and  disarm  opposition. 
Mr.  Lane  had  just  arisen  to  speak,  as  I  had  whis- 
pered it  to  him,  and  he  announced  it.  It  was  re- 
ceived with  a  shout  of  applause  and  stamping  and 
clapping  of  hands,  by  the  whole  Senate,  as  a  com- 
promise. 

"  The  reading  of  Buel's  amendment  was  then 
called  for  and  behold,  on  hearing  it,  I  found 
that  it  required  not  half,  but  that  every  single 
bond  should  be  surrendered  before  the  act  should 
take  effect.  It  was  so  artfully  drawn  that  a  super- 
ficial reading  of  it  left  the  impression  that  only 
one-half  was  required.  This  led  to  another  scene 
of  excitement,  and  when  Coffin  exposed  the  caucus 
intrigue  the  history  of  this  amendment  was  un- 
ravelled. The  enemies  of  the  bill  had  all  rallied, 
on  Buel's  amendment,  Thursday  afternoon,  and 
everyone  of  them  said  :  '  If  you  will  only  adopt 
that,  we  will  go  for  the  bill,'  and  when  I  finally 
assented  on  Friday  forenoon,  it  was  to  catch  all 
and   take  them  at  their  word.     They  found,  it 

267 


THE     LIFE      AND     LETTERS 

seemed,  that  the  amendment  offered  on  Thursday- 
afternoon  did  not  go  far  enough  to  defeat  the  bill, 
and  the  amendment  offered  yesterday  was  shaped 
accordingly.  It  was  handed  to  the  clerk  and  not 
read,  with  a  remark  that  it  was  the  same  as  had 
been  previously  offered.  The  explanation  helped 
us,  and  put  the  parties  to  shame. 

"The  Senators  who  were  in  the  secret,  when  Mr. 
Lane  agreed  to  adopt  the  substitute,  were  elated 
and  shouted  because  they  thought  they  had  trapped 
us,  while  the  other  part  of  the  Senate  were  elated 
because  they  received  it  as  a  compromise  that  would 
secure  harmony  in  the  passage  of  the  bill.  The 
error  was  corrected  by  a  Senator,  offering  the  very 
amendment  which  had  been  first  proposed,  and 
to  which  I  supposed  I  had  agreed,  and  then  these 
men  (the  leaders)  all  turned  around  and  hotly 
opposed  it.  It  rendered  them  so  ridiculous  that 
they  lost  their  strength,  and  though  they  fought 
desperately  to  the  last  they  were  completely  foiled. 
There  are  a  great  many  incidents  connected  with 
the  progress  of  the  bill  equally  exciting  at  times, 
but  it  is  impossible  to  give  any  idea  of  them  on 
paper.  I  rejoice  that  it  is  over.  Since  I  com- 
menced writing  a  friend  has  come  in  to  inform  me 

26S 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

that  the  amendments  have  been  concurred  in  by 
the  House  with  only  two  dissenting  votes.  Every- 
body is  now  friendly  to  the  bill.  On  Monday 
the  Governor  (who,  by  the  way,  is  very  unwell 
and  in  bed  yet)  will  put  his  signature  to  it,  and 
that  will  be  the  last  act  in  the  business,  and  my 
mission  will  be  closed." 

Indianapolis,  19th  of  January,  1846. 
"  I  am  happy  to  say  to  you  that  the  bill  to 
redeem  the  credit  of  Indiana  and  finish  her  great 
canal  has  this  day  received  the  signature  of  the 
Governor.  He  signed  it  in  bed  in  my  presence, 
saying  that  it  was  one  of  the  most  gratifying  acts 
of  his  life.  He  is  yet  very  sick  and  confined  to 
his  bed,  not  being  able  to  be  removed  to  his  own 
house.  The  necessary  tax  bill,  and  all  other  need- 
ful bills  to  give  effect  to  the  measure,  have  also 
passed.  Thus  my  mission  is  accomplished,  and 
God  has  smiled  on  me  and  on  all  my  endeavors. 
It  has  been  the  more  remarkable  because,  as  you 
will  see  from  my  letters,  I  never  counted  a  day 
ahead  on  anything  certain.  Every  day  found 
and  left  me  uncertain  as  to  the  probable  issue.  I 
am    sure  now  that   the  bill   is  passed,  though  it 

269 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

seems  like  a  dream.  The  friends  of  public  credit 
are  overjoyed.  They  are  now  taking  leave  of  me. 
1  assure  you  that  I  have  become  so  attached  to 
some  of  these  people  who  have  stood  by  me 
through  thick  and  thin  that  I  feel  sorry  to  part 
with  them.  I  feel  as  if  with  them  I  have  gone 
through  a  protracted  scene  of  trial  and  con- 
flict." 

The  bill  as  finally  passed  funded  the  interest, 
accrued  and  to  accrue,  into  new  bonds  to  be  issued 
six  years  later ;  divided  all  the  bonds  into  two 
equal  parts  ;  and  provided  that  the  interest  on  one 
half  of  these  should  be  paid  from  taxation  and  on  the 
other  half  from  revenues  of  the  Wabash  and  Erie 
Canal,  which  the  bondholders  *  agreed  to  com- 
plete and  to  assist  in  managing  through  trustees 
to  be  appointed  by  themselves  and  by  the  State. 
This  was  not  the  proposition  originally  made  by 

*  The  canal  was  completed  under  this  agreement  at  an  addi- 
tional cost  of  over  two  millions  of  dollars,  eight  hundred  thousand 
dollars  of  which  was  subscribed  by  the  bondholders  and  paid  in  cash, 
and  the  remainder  of  which  was  paid  from  the  proceeds  of  sales  of 
canal  lands.  It  is  an  interesting  proof  of  the  integrity  and  ability 
of  the  management  by  the  Trustees  of  this  great  work  that  the 
original  estimate  in  1845,  for  completion  of  two  hundred  miles  not 
then  constructed  was  $2,010,000  ;  the  actual  cost  was  ;^2, 083, 538. 

270 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

Charles  Butler,  and  was  accepted  by  him  only  after 
abundant  assurances  of  good  faith  in  carrying  out 
its  provisions.  It  was  not  remarkably  favorable 
to  the  bondholders,  whose  interest  payments  by 
it  were  to  be  reduced  and  long  deferred,  and  whose 
principal  was  secured  only  by  expected  pros- 
perity ;  and  its  provisions  led  to  the  imposition 
of  a  most  unwelcome  and  onerous  responsibility 
on  Charles  Butler,  who  afterwards  became  chair- 
man of  the  trustees  of  the  canal,  and  who  labored, 
in  season  and  out  of  season,  for  thirty  years,  rais- 
ing the  money  from  the  bondholders  for  the  com- 
pletion of  the  canal,  conserving  its  revenues,  pro- 
tecting its  interests,  facing  in  the  later  years  of  the 
task  a  hopeless  struggle  with  never  failing  courage. 
Yet  at  the  time  it  seemed  a  fair  arrangement,  con- 
sidering the  poverty  of  the  State.  Its  most  attrac- 
tive feature  was  that  it  virtually  made  the  State 
a  partner  with  the  bondholders  in  the  mainten- 
ance of  the  canal.  For  by  the  terms  of  the  act 
the  State  did  not  part  with  its  title  but  reserved  a 
residuary  interest  in  the  canal,  and  the  right, 
after  twenty  years,  to  pay  the  debt  secured  by  the 
canal  property,  and  to  resume  the  absolute  right 
of  possession. 

271 


THE      LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

Indiana  was  already  bound,  by  its  acceptance 
from  the  United  States  of  the  pubhc  lands  granted 
by  Act  of  Congress,  March  2,  1827,  for  the  con- 
struction of  this  canal,  to  maintain  it  forever  as  a 
public  highway,  and  to  assist  the  Trustees  in  every 
way  in  so  maintaining  it.  These  considerations 
influenced  Mr.  Butler  in  accepting  the  proposals, 
especially  as  the  act  affirmed  the  responsibility  of 
the  State,  and  thus  built  up  one  more  bulwark 
against  that  wave  of  repudiation  which  then  seemed 
resistless.  Its  enemies,  honest  and  dishonest, 
fought  it  by  every  means  known  to  the  legislator's 
art.  Mr.  Butler  labored  unceasingly  night  and 
day,  exhorting,  persuading,  entreating.  He  won 
praise  even  from  the  enemy,  so  that  the  leading 
paper  of  the  opposition,  though  bitterly  opposing 
the  bill,  said  of  him  :  "  The  bondholders  have 
cause  to  congratulate  themselves  on  the  goodness 
of  their  agent.  He  has  conducted  the  negotiation 
with  admirable  skill  and  temper." 

The  credit  of  the  State  for  the  time  was  saved. 
One  of  her  sons,  just  after  this  vote,  said  of  this 
action,  in  words  that  were  then  wholly  true,  though 
the  State  in  later  years  failed  to  live  up  to  their 
promise:   "The  career  of  the  State  was  arrested 

272 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

by  misfortunes  which  could  not  have  been  antici- 
pated ;  and  the  losses,  as  too  frequently  happens 
in  similar  cases,  were  in  proportion  to  the  magni- 
tude of  her  vast  designs.  There  was,  however, 
yet  left  for  her  patient  resignation  under  adversity, 
and  the  broad  path  of  honour ;  most  nobly  has 
she  manifested  the  former,  and  pursued  the  latter. 
Disappointed,  deceived,  defrauded,  and  for  a  time 
prostrated  by  the  heavy  debt  she  had  incurred, 
yet  she  has  asked  no  sympathy,  no  compromise 
unless  concluded  in  honour  ;  and  now,  at  the  first 
moment  of  her  ability,  adjusts  the  payment  of  her 
debt,  secures  a  place  above  reproach,  and  gives  to 
her  sons  a  moral  lesson  far  more  profitable  to 
them  than  the  fullest  realization  of  her  blighted 
hopes." 

Indiana  failed,  later,  to  carry  out  in  full  the 
terms  of  this  settlement.  Yet,  despite  this,  it  is 
doubtful  if  a  greater  service  could  at  that  moment 
have  been  rendered  to  a  sovereign  State.  It  was 
not  only  that  to  the  then  little  State  of  Indiana, 
with  its  eight  hundred  thousand  people,  all  told> 
had  come  financial  relief  Of  far  more  importance 
was  the  moral  stimulus  given  to  the  whole  west- 
ern country.     Credit  was  restored.     Private  busi- 

273 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

ness  honor,  which,  as  Charles  Butler  well  said, 
"  languishes  inevitably  when  public  honor  weak- 
ens," was  established.  Emigrants  poured  into  the 
western  States.  Means  for  improvement,  public 
and  private,  were  provided,  and  an  era  of  pros- 
perity began  for  the  whole  region  which  to  this 
day  has  never  had  a  serious  check. 

When  the  work  of  establishing  the  credit  of 
Michigan  had  been  completed  in  1843,  Auditor 
General  Hammond,  in  recording  the  result  and  in 
predicting  the  benefits  which  were  to  come  from  it, 
uttered  a  word  of  warning:  "  If  the  battle  is  not  still 
to  be  fought,  the  victory  achieved  is  still  to  be  de- 
fended." In  Michigan  the  victory  was  defended 
through  the  subsequent  years.  The  bonds  of  the 
State  were  paid  and  no  creditor  called  its  faith  in 
question.  It  now  seems  altogether  probable  that, 
in  like  manner,  the  final  issue  of  this  transaction  in 
Indiana  would  have  been  as  prosperous  as  its  incep- 
tion was  creditable  had  the  State  in  its  subsequent 
action  lived  fully  up  to  the  spirit  of  its  promises. 
It  had  agreed,  as  we  have  seen,  to  do  all  in  its 
power  to  help  the  canal,  which  would,  it  was  then 
expected,  when  the  bonds  had  been  paid  by  the 
revenues  and  the  sale  of  the  public  lands,  revert 

274 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

unburdened  to  the  State,  to  be  an  asset  as  valuable 
as  the  Erie  Canal  was  then,  or  is  now,  to  the  State 
of  New  York.  But  Indiana,  influenced  by  a  desire 
for  quick  development,  committed  an  economic 
mistake,  and  then  suffered  itself  to  be  led  into  a 
moral  delinquency. 

In  New  York  State  the  Erie  Canal  had  become 
well  established  and  prosperous  before  the  railroads 
came  into  being,  and  it  has  since  been  of  inestim- 
able value  to  the  community.  It  has  even  helped 
the  railroads  by  building  up  local  centres  of  distri- 
bution along  its  route.  Such  might  have  been  the 
result  in  Indiana,  for  the  Wabash  and  Erie  Canal, 
traversing  the  entire  State,  would  unquestionably 
have  given  markets  to  vast  regions  of  territory, 
and  would,  it  now  seems  clear,  have  been  an  assist- 
ance to  well  located  railroads  as  well  as  a  useful 
check  in  preventing  wild  schemes  of  railroad  spec- 
ulation. But  the  State  neglected  the  canal  and 
unduly  fostered  other  competing  transportation 
routes.  The  bondholders  faithfully  performed 
their  part.  As  rapidly  as  possible  they  raised,  and 
honestly  spent,  the  two  million  dollars  required 
to  complete  the  canal.  But  they  had  a  competitor 
instead  of  a  partner  in  the  State.    Railroads  parallel 

275 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


to  the  canal  were  chartered  almost  before  the  water 
began  to  flow  through  its  half  completed  sections. 
In  the  years  between  1846  and  1856  hundreds  of 
miles  of  railways,  shrewdly  designed  to  seize  the 
business  which  the  canal  was  then  creating,  were 
projected  and  promptly  chartered.  Most  of  these 
railroads  ultimately  proved  a  benefit.  Had  they 
been  chartered  with  wise  discrimination  they  might 
have  increased  the  value  of  the  State's  investments. 
In  so  far,  however,  as  they  injured  the  canal, 
they  were  certainly  harmful  to  the  best  interests 
of  the  State.  The  trustees  of  the  canal,  who 
were  all  farseeing  men,  devoted  to  the  highest 
interests  of  the  community  as  well  as  faithful  to 
their  duties  as  guardians  of  the  property,  put 
forth  their  utmost  eflrbrts  to  sustain  their  great 
enterprise,  but  it  was  strangled  in  its  infancy  by 
the  network  of  railways. 

Finding  that  the  canal  might  never  be  remuner- 
ative, Indiana,  instead  of  assuming  its  moral  obli- 
gations to  reimburse  the  bondholders,  dishonored 
its  own  promises,  and  abandoned  its  own  residuary 
interests  in  the  canal.  Against  this  desertion 
by  the  State  Mr.  Butler  and  his  fellow  trustees 
made  a  struggle  which   continued  for  more  than 

276 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 

twenty    years.     A  sovereign  State  could   not  be 
sued,  and  its  responsibility  could  only  indirectly  be 
established  by  the   courts.     The  interests  of  the 
canal  could,  however,  be  legally    defended,  and 
were  so  defended  in  certain  famous  actions,  notably 
that    of  "  Gapen  v.   Trustees  of  the  Wabash  and 
Erie  Canal"  the    issue    of  which,   though    tech- 
nically  a    defeat  for  the   defenders  of  the  canal 
interests,  has  proved  of  legal  and  economic  ser- 
vice.   With  a  constancy  which  approached  hero- 
ism the  trustees  labored   in  every  way   to  save 
the    State    from    impairing    the    credit    it    had 
gained   in    its    early    action,    and    in   this  course 
they  were  upheld  by  many  citizens  of  Indiana. 
But  politicians  waged  war  against  them,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  law  after  law,  from  1852  onward, 
passed,  declaring  the  determination  of  the  State 
not  to  pay  the  debt.     Finally,  in   1873,  by  an 
amendment  to  its  constitution,  Indiana  prohibited 
itself  from  ever  fulfilling  its  moral — and  as  many 
thought  its  legal — obligations,  by   resolving    that 
no  law  or  resolution  should  ever  be  passed  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  State  that  should  recog- 
nize any  liability  for  these  bonds. 

This  later  faithlessness  of  the  State,  however, 

*77 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

serves  rather  to  emphasize  than  to  discredit  the 
courage,  perseverance  and  integrity  with  which 
Charles  Butler  and  the  other  trustees  of  the 
Wabash  and  Erie  Canal  served  the  higher  inter- 
ests of  the  commonwealth  for  nearly  a  generation. 
The  danger  of  State  Repudiation,  which  in  1845 
seemed  most  imminent,  passed  as  a  national  haz- 
ard. With  a  few  local  exceptions,  due  to  special 
circumstances,  State  responsibility  became  firmly 
established.  To  this  result  the  services  detailed 
in  this  chapter  contributed  in  great  measure,  and 
for  them  not  alone  Indiana  and  Michigan,  but 
Illinois  and  many  other  States  of  the  Union  as 
well,  owe  a  lasting  debt  of  gratitude  to  Charles 
Butler. 


CHAPTER  VII 

JOURNEYS      IN     EUROPE FAMILY    AND     HOME 

LIFE SERVICES    TO    NEW  YORK    UNIVER- 
SITY   AND  TO    UNION    THEOLOGICAL 

SEMINARY 


THE  work  done  in  Michigan  and  Indiana 
led  to  journeys  for  conference  with  for- 
eign bondholders,  almost  half  of  whom, 
in  each  case,  were  English  capitalists  whose  repre- 
sentatives, the  Barings,  Rothschilds  and  others, 
were  prominent  in  the  financial  world. 

The  voyage  in  1 846  was  by  steamer,  twenty- 
four  days  from  New  York  to  Liverpool. 
"  What  a  blank  life  on  shipboard  seems,"  wrote 
Charles  Butler,  "  and  what  a  blank  it  really  is. 
We  have  a  limited  number  of  cabin  passengers, 
quiet,  orderly  people,  and  glide  smoothly  over  the 
sea.  Now  and  then  a  school  of  porpoises  comes 
bounding  along  to  enliven  the  scene  a  little.  As 
to  my  daily  habits,  they  are  regular  enough — rise 

279 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

at  any  time  between  four  and  six,  wrap  my  dress- 
ing-gown around  me,  rush  on  deck  aft  where  the 
men  are  at  work,  throw  off  my  coverings,  and 
enjoy  four  buckets  of  pure  salt  water  well  put  on 
by  some  hardy  old  salt.  This  done  I  retreat  to 
my  stateroom  in  a  fine  glow,  rub  down  thorough- 
ly, and  if  it  be  early  turn  in  again  and  get  a  nap. 
We  breakfast  at  nine,  and  I  arrange  to  take  time 
before  breakfast  to  read  a  couple  of  chapters  in 
the  Bible  in  course,  one  in  Psalms  and  one  in 
Isaiah,  read  a  few  pages  in  the  Memoirs  of  Rev. 
P.  Griffin,  and  get  a  little  exercise  on  deck  be- 
fore the  breakfast  hour.  After  breakfast  we  lounge 
about  on  deck  with  books,  and  talk,  until  twelve, 
when  the  lunch  is  served.  That  done  we  have 
another  space  to  fill  up,  occupied  in  doing  noth- 
ing, or  looking  at  the  calm  and  gentle  sea,  and 
breathing  the  sweet  and  healthy  air,  till  half-past 
two,  the  regular  dinner,  which  takes  up  a  good 
hour  and  a  half.  Towards  five  or  six  o'clock  a 
fine  breeze  springs  up  usually,  and  this  infuses 
something  like  life  into  the  company  again  and  an 
effort  is  made  to  do  something.  Then  follows 
the  sunset  and  with  it  the  bell  rings  for  tea. 
"  After  tea  we  dispose  ourselves  on  deck,  look- 

280 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 


ing  at  the  stars  and  '  wishing,'  until  ten  or  eleven, 
and  then  one  after  another  turns  in  until  at  last  the 
deck  is  quite  deserted.  Another  Sunday  has  come 
and  is  nearly  past,  and  we  are  only  one-third  the 
distance  across  the  great  Atlantic.  Mr.  Balch  gave 
us  an  excellent  sermon  from  Matthew  7th,  13th, 
*  Enter  ye  in  at  the  straight  gate.'  It  was  the  first 
time  I  ever  attended  religious  services  on  board  a 
ship.  They  were  held  on  the  main  deck.  Seats 
were  prepared  for  the  cabin  and  steerage  passen- 
gers ;  the  steps  were  brought  out,  covered  with 
flag  bunting  and  formed  quite  a  neat  and  appro- 
priate pulpit.  A  choir  was  found  among  the  steer- 
age passengers,  and  responses  among  the  cabin  pas- 
sengers, so  that  the  entire  service  was  gone  through 
with  to  an  interested  congregation.  What  a  place 
of  worship — the  blue  and  boundless  ocean  beneath 
and  around  us,  the  blue  and  boundless  sky  above 
us — fit  temple  in  which  to  worship  Him  who  made 
them  and  who  made  us. 

"  There  are  upwards  of  a  hundred  steerage  pas- 
sengers and  many  poor  and  friendless  creatures 
among  them.  My  sympathies  have  been  very 
much  enlisted  for  a  poor  sick  child  about  two 
years  old,  belonging  to  an  Irish  woman  on  board. 


281 


THE     LIFE     AND      LETTERS 

As  she  seemed  to  be  entirely  destitute  and  ne- 
glected, I  visited  her  child,  found  the  poor  thing 
very  feeble,  gave  it  something  to  help  it,  and  for 
a  day  or  two  it  seemed  to  be  doing  better.  Yes- 
terday morning  I  was  carrying  it  some  prunes, 
and  was  met  by  the  mate,  who  said  the  child  was 
dead.  As  it  lay  in  its  mother's  arms  it  seemed 
quite  dead.  I  had  it  removed,  procured  a  warm 
mustard  bath  and  placed  the  child  in  it.  It  re- 
vived, and  has  seemed  to  improve  since ;  but  it  is 
still  very  feeble,  and  my  apprehension  is  that  it 
cannot  live  through  the  voyage. 

"  It  is  really  distressing  to  see  the  miserable 
provision  made  for  these  steerage  passengers. 
There  are  many  decent  and  respectable  persons 
among  them,  but  a  large  share  of  them  are  obliged 
to  live  and  sleep  on  deck,  and  this  woman  with 
her  sick  child  must  sit  or  lie  about  on  planks  and 
barrels.  We  shall  have  a  distressingly  long  voy- 
age out  from  present  appearances,  and  I  already 
dread  the  return  voyage." 

The  kind  attentions  and  hearty  hospitality  re- 
ceived in  England  were  much  enjoyed.  The  first 
Sunday  on  land  was  spent  with  J.  Horsley  Palmer, 
Esq.,  at  Fulham,  near  London.     "  I  have  stolen 

282 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

away  from  the  company,"  wrote  Mr.  Butler,  "  to 
devote  a  few  moments  to  you.  We  were  brought 
out  yesterday  afternoon  by  Mr.  Palmer,  and  find 
ourselves  enjoying  delightful  hospitality  in  the 
most  elegant  and  at  the  same  time  homelike 
manner.  I  went  to  church  to-day  with  the  family 
morning  and  evening,  and  was  gratified  to  hear 
the  Bishop  of  London  preach  a  good  sermon  in 
the  morning  and  read  the  service  in  the  afternoon, 
while  the  curate  preached  the  sermon.  Accord- 
mg  to  the  English  custom,  a  number  of  the  neigh- 
bors dropped  in  after  the  service,  and  there  was 
quite  a  collection  in  the  grounds. 

"  The  house  is  beautifully  situated  on  the  banks 
of  the  Thames,  and  a  magnificent  lawn  extends 
in  front  to  the  river.  The  Thames  is  thronged 
with  steamboats  and  other  craft,  plying  up  and 
down  so  quietly  as  to  occasion  no  disturbance. 
It  is  a  panoramic  view.  The  lawn  is  embellished 
with  the  most  splendid  trees,  among  which  I  rec- 
ognized the  horse-chestnut,  the  sycamore,  the 
oak,  locust,  elm,  willow  and  poplars,  of  huge  size  ; 
also  lime  trees,  forming  an  extensive  arbor,  and 
every  possible  variety  of  shrubbery  and  flowers. 
There  are  two  green-houses  or  conservatories,  in 

283 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

one  of  which  there  is  an  exquisite  collection  of 
plants  and  flowers,  in  the  other  grapes  and  fruits. 
In  the  garden  nectarines  and  peaches,  trained  on 
the  wall  and  loaded  down  with  luscious  fruit 
of  large  size  ;  pears  trained  in  the  same  way,  and 
the  English  mulberry,  a  very  large  and  rich  fruit. 
Two  extensive  kitchen  gardens  contain  the  vari- 
ous kinds  of  vegetables  and  garden  fruits.  The 
tide  was  out,  and  this  gave  me  an  opportunity  to 
get  a  walk  on  the  beach.  The  house  fronts  on 
the  river,  and  the  lawn,  on  the  riverside,  is  de- 
fended by  a  stone  pier,  to  the  top  of  which  the 
tide  rises.  The  paths  through  the  grounds  are 
laid  out  beautifully ;  but  what  is  most  striking  is 
the  velvet-green  grass  lawn  which  only  an  Eng- 
lish gardener  does  make  in  perfection.  We  have 
fruit  in  abundance  from  the  garden,  and  on  Sat- 
urday we  had  for  dinner  a  haunch  of  venison  from 
Richmond  Park,  which  the  Bishop  of  London 
sent  over  for  the  occasion — his  lordship  being  a 
neighbor,  and  being  entitled,  by  virtue  of  his 
office,  to  venison  from  the  royal  park.  It  seems 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  who  is  next  to  the 
royal  family  in  dignity,  is  brother-in-law  of  Mr. 
Palmer,  and  resides  near  him,  but  is  now  absent. 

284 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


"We  dined  to-night  at  seven  and  the  dinner,  like 
that  of  yesterday,  was  superb.  After  dinner  we 
withdrew  to  the  drawing-room,  where  the  coffee 
was  served,  and  after  that  tea  on  the  table  poured 
out  by  Mrs.  Palmer.  At  half-past  nine  we  were 
called  into  the  dining-room,  where  the  house  ser- 
vants, twelve  in  number,  six  men  and  six  women, 
were  assembled,  and  Mr.  Palmer  read  a  prayer, 
all  kneeling,  and  then  we  went  to  our  rooms.  This 
is  my  first  Sunday  on  land  since  I  left  the  United 
States  and  I  feel  as  if  I  were  almost  a  heathen. 
There  is  no  Sunday  at  sea,  especially  when  the 
wind  blows,  and  though  this  place  is  as  quiet  and 
sweet  as  can  be,  yet  even  here  the  habits  are  so 
different  from  what  I  have  been  accustomed  to 
that  it  does  not  seem  like  a  Sunday  in  our  country. 
If  ever  I  feel  more  homesick  on  one  day  than  an- 
other it  is  on  Sunday,  for  the  associations  of  home 
are  so  strong  on  this  day  as  to  engross  my  feel- 
ings and  make  me  yearn  to  see  you  and  our 
dear  children." 

On  this  journey,  Mr.  Butler  was  especially  im- 
pressed by  the  efficiency  of  the  business  methods, 
the  frankness  and  comfort  of  the  home  life,  and 
the  beauty  of  the  cultivated  English  landscape. 

*8s 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


On  the  Monday  after  the  little  "week  end"  visit, 
the  letters  carry  us  back  again  to  London,  and  to 
solemn  meetings  of  Directors.  These  proceed- 
ings appear  a  little  slow  and  formal,  as  compared 
with  American  methods  of  the  present  day,  but 
half  a  century  ago  America  still  had  something  to 
learn  in  financial  matters  from  England,  and  the 
studies  made  at  this  time  bore  abundant  fruit  in 
later  organizing  work  at  home.  After  a  month 
or  two  in  England,  Mr.  Butler  came  back  to 
America  in  a  leisurely  steamship. 

Another  journey  to  Europe  was  made  in  1853 
when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Butler  and  their  children 
were  accompanied  by  Mr.  William  B.  Ogden  of 
Chicago.  A  letter  from  London  thus  describes 
a  banquet  in  Guild  Hall  : 

"We  went  to  the  Lord  Mayor's  dinner  last 
evening,  which  was  a  most  gorgeous  banquet,  and 
to  us  green  Americans  a  great  novelty.  The 
places  assigned  to  us  were  at  the  top  of  the  table 
and  directly  opposite  to  the  Lord  Mayor  and  his 
lady  and  the  cabinet  ministers,  so  that  we  were 
within  a  few  feet  of  the  speakers.  We  met  the 
Lord  Chancellor,  the  Earl  of  Aberdeen,  the  Earl 
of  Clarendon,  Lord  John  Russell,  Lord  Palmers- 

286 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


ton,  Sir  James  Graham,  the  Marquis  of  Salisbury, 
Mr.  Buchanan,  the  Lord  Chief  Justice  of  England, 
the  Lord  Mayor,  and  the  ex-Lord  Mayor.  All 
were  seated  according  to  rank,  William  Ogden,  as 
ex-Mayor  of  Chicago,  being  placed  among  the 
distinguished  guests,  next  below  the  foreign  min- 
isters. All  the  guests  appeared  in  uniform,  mak- 
ing a  splendid  spectacle  in  the  finely  lighted  Guild 

Hall." 

While  on  the  continent  they  had  the  exciting 
experience  of  being  waylaid  by  a  party  of  banditti  on 
one  of  the  desolate  mountain  passes  near  Viterbo. 
An  ambuscade  had  been  formed  into  which  the 
foremost  carriage  unsuspectingly  entered  and  was 
quickly  set  upon  and  plundered.  Just  behind 
came  the  carriage  of  our  travelers  which  could  not 
possibly  have  escaped  had  there  not  appeared  in 
the  most  melodramatic  fashion  two  rescuers  on 
horse-back,  both  Italians,  and  one  a  priest,  who 
galloped  off  for  help,  and  succeeded  in  arousing 
from  some  quarter  the  military  guard  which  has- 
tened up  and  put  the  banditti  to  flight. 

Mr.  Butler  was  not  able  to  prolong  his  own 
stay  beyond  the  first  summer,  but  the  advantages 
for  the  children  induced  Mrs.  Butler  to  remain  in 

287 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

Europe  with  the  family  for  over  a  year,  studying 
the  languages,  and  giving  to  the  three  children 
some  acquaintance  with  the  art  and  the  historic 
life  of  Paris.  Mr.  Butler  hoped  that  he  would  be 
able  to  return  to  them  during  the  second  summer, 
but  his  multiplying  business  cares  prevented. 

A-t  the  end  of  this  journey  came  one  of  those 
incidents  which  never  fail,  however  philosophical 
may  be  one's  turn  of  mind,  to  suggest  a  serious- 
ness in  the  daily  happenings  of  life.  It  was  "  a 
narrow  providential  miss  of  the  uttermost  calam- 
ity," as  Carlyle  phrased  it.  The  party  had  taken 
passage  on  the  Arctic,  but  at  the  last  moment  were 
led  through  Mrs.  Butler's  apprehensions  of  Sep- 
tember storms,  to  give  up  their  staterooms  and 
wait  for  the  next  steamer.  They  did  not  know 
from  what  a  fate  they  had  been  saved  until  they 
reached  theBanks  of  Newfoundland,  and  the  Bal- 
tic, on  which  they  had  sailed,  was  spoken  by  a 
United  States  cruiser  sent  to  search  for  any  re- 
mains of  the  Arctic  or  its  passengers,  only  a  few 
of  whom  had  reached  land  to  tell  the  story  of  its 
loss. 

At  New  York  there  was  another  wonderful 
escape.     Charles  Butler  was  waiting  at  the  dock 

»88 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


to  welcome  his  family.  The  steamer  reached  port 
on  a  dark  evening  in  October.  The  wharves 
were  but  dimly  lighted,  and  protected  on  the  side 
of  the  water  only  by  a  string-piece  of  timber. 
They  were  crowded  with  carriages  and  carts  ;  to 
avoid  one  of  these  as  it  backed  against  her,  little 
Anna,  who  was  behind  her  parents,  quite  uncon- 
scious of  her  nearness  to  the  water,  gave  a  spring 
which  carried  her  over  the  string-piece.  She  fell 
into  the  water,  perhaps  sixteen  feet  below  as  the 
tide  was  near  its  ebb  and  flowing  out  rapidly. 
She  gave  one  scream,  "  Father  !  "  and  simultan- 
eously, as  it  seemed  to  the  others  who  did  not  at 
first  understand  the  call  or  the  situation,  her 
father,  with  his  accustomed  swiftness  of  compre- 
hension and  action,  sprang  after  the  child. 

In  speaking  of  the  incident  afterward  he  said 
that  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  impetus  of  the  leap 
and  the  weight  of  heavy  winter  clothing  were  such 
that  the  downward  plunge  would  never  come  to 
an  end  and  that  he  was  conscious  that  the  tide 
would  make  it  almost  impossible  for  him  to  over- 
take the  child  whom  he  saw  sinking  for  the  second 
time  before  he  could  reach  her.  But  he  was  an 
expert  swimmer  and  caught  her  in  time  to  throw 

289 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

her  head  out  of  the  water  and  on  his  shoulder. 
Clasping  her  around  the  waist  with  his  right  arm 
he  charged  her  not  to  choke  him  by  cHnging  too 
tightly  to  his  neck,  and  so  he  swam  back  with  his 
burden  against  the  tide  (which  had  carried  him 
out  some  twenty  or  thirty  feet)  to  the  smooth 
side  of  the  dock.  Here  three  fingers  found  a 
lodgment  in  a  knot  hole.  By  this  he  sustained 
himself  until  a  rope  was  lowered  from  above.  The 
child  was  first  drawn  up.  Then  the  rope  was 
lowered  again,  placed  around  his  waist,  and  finally, 
steadied  from  below  by  men  who  had  secured  a 
small  raft,  he,  too,  was  raised  in  safety  to  the 
wharf  A  happy  and  thankful  family  group 
gathered  in  the  Fourteenth  Street  home  that  Oc- 
tober night  after  this  second  deliverance  from  the 
perils  of  the  sea. 

As  the  biographer  read  the  records  of  these 
days  it  so  chanced  that  two  letters,  somewhat  sep- 
arated in  date,  came  to  his  notice  at  the  same  mo- 
ment. The  first  told  of  dinner  parties  in  Lon- 
don. "  I  would  be  glad,  if  I  could,"  Mr.  Butler 
wrote,  "  to  give  you  a  description  of  two  dinner 
parties  I  have  attended,  one  at  Mr.  Holford's, 
and  the  other  at  Mr.  Baring's.    For  magnificence 

290 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

and  costliness  they  exceeded  anything  I  had  con- 
ceived of.  Mr.  Holford  Hves  in  Regents  Park. 
I  suppose  his  dining-table  had  on  it  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  plate,  and  everything 
was  in  proportion.  The  wash  basin,  passed  around 
after  the  meats,  was  of  silver  and  gold.  Dear  me, 
thought  I,  how  would  an  honest  republican  din- 
ner in  Eleventh  Street  strike  these  men  ?  Twelve 
servants,  all  in  a  row,  in  regimentals  with  powdered 
hair  and  short  clothes.  But  it  is  all  nonsense  and 
more  than  nonsense." 

The  other  letter  gave  this  incident. 

"  I  ought  to  have  mentioned  that  I  spent  last  eve- 
ning with  Miss  Lynch  at  Carlyle's  by  special  invita- 
tion through  Miss  Delia  Bacon.  We  found  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Carlyle  very  interesting  and  pleasant.  I 
was  very  much  dehghted  with  both  of  them." 
The  contrast  was  interesting — twelve  powdered 
flunkies  in  a  row  and  Thomas  Carlyle  in  his  dingy 
sitting-room  at  Chelsea.  What  Mr.  Butler  treas- 
ured as  one  of  the  choicest  garnerings  of  his  jour- 
ney abroad  was  a  long-enduring  friendship  with 
the  grim  old  Sage  of  Chelsea,  for  whom  he  made 
some  small  investments  in  New  York  which  pros- 
pered continuously  under  his  careful  guidance. 

291 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

Fifteen  years  later,  Carlyle  wrote,  soon  after  the 
death  of  his  wife :  "  I  was  a  stranger,  and  I  felt 
that  you  took  me  up  as  a  friend  ; — and,  sure 
enough,  you  have  throughout  acted  conspicuously 
in  that  character  ;  caring  for  my  interests  with  a 
constant  loyalty,  sagacity  and  punctuality  as  if  they 
had  been  your  own  ;  manifesting  at  all  times  the 
qualities  of  a  perfect  man  of  business,  and  of  an 
altogether  singularly  generous,  faithful  and  court- 
eous benefactor  ; — in  short,  making  good  nobly  in 
all  points,  the  reading  we  took  of  you  here  that 
evening  long  years  ago, — when,  alas,  it  was  still 
*  we,'  not  as  now  one  only,  who  could  recognize 
good  men  and  love  them  !  '* 

Although  Mr.  Butler's  life  was  one  of  such 
activity,  he  had  a  love  of  home  which  came  to 
him  from  his  ancestry,  from  his  family  traditions, 
from  his  habits.  During  the  administrations  of 
Presidents  Jackson  and  Van  Buren,  when  Ben- 
jamin Franklin  Butler  was  Attorney-General  of 
the  United  States,  Charles  Butler  was  much  at 
the  capital  as  a  friend  and  as  the  trusted  adviser 
on  important  financial  questions  of  both  Presi- 
dents. He  witnessed  inaugural  ceremonies,  balls 
and  splendid  functions,  and  in  some  took  part  as 

292 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 

an  honored  guest.  But  these  get  brief  comment. 
It  is  the  domestic,  rarely  the  official,  life  of  the 
nation's  great  men  that  we  find  recorded.  That 
which  was  really  of  interest  to  him  was  such  a 
scene  as  this  of  the  farewell  of  Andrew  Jackson, 
when  in  1837  he  went  home  from  Washington 
after  his  eight  years'  tenure  of  the  Presidential 
office  : 

"  The  old  President  left  yesterday,  and  I  was 
present  at  his  last  parting  adieus  to  the  members 
of  his  cabinet  and  their  respective  families  and  to 
a  few  of  his  intimate  friends.  It  was  truly  affect- 
ing to  witness  it.  The  old  general,  care-worn, 
feeble,  venerable,  yet  cheerful,  kind  and  fatherly ; 
every  word  he  uttered  was  so  appropriate  and  so 
suited  to  each  one  he  addressed.  When  Mr. 
Mahlon  Dickerson,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 
who  is,  you  know,  an  old  bachelor,  took  him  by 
the  hand,  and  the  General  bestowed  on  him  his 
parting  blessing,  the  Secretary  was  so  affected  that 
his  eyes  filled  with  tears,  and  he  could  scarcely 
speak ;  but  the  General  in  his  happy  way  added 
that  he  hoped  soon  to  have  the  pleasure  of  hear- 
ing that  he  was  '  happily  married '  which  changed 
the  current  of  feeling  and  saved  the  worthy  Secre- 

»93 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

tary,  I  have   no  doubt,   from   giving  way   to  the 
impulse  of  his  heart." 

Again,  when  writing  to  his  son  in  1844  of 
scenes  and  experiences  in  Washington  he  gave 
this  charming  picture  of  an  evening  with  President 
John  Tyler  : 

"  I  have  just  returned  from  a  visit  to  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  and  I  thought  it  would 
interest  you  to  receive  some  account  of  him  and 
of  my  visit.  There  are  certain  evenings  appropri- 
ated to  receiving  by  the  President  and  family,  and 
this  was  one,  and  so  I  thought  I  would  go  and 
pay  my  respects  to  the  chief  magistrate.  A  friend 
accompanied  me.  We  were  introduced  into  the 
drawing-room  where  there  were  quite  a  number  of 
visitors,  ladies  and  gentlemen.  We  were  received 
by  the  President  very  kindly  and  were  introduced 
by  him  to  his  son,  and  by  the  latter  to  the  ladies 
of  the  family — the  President's  two  daughters,  Mrs. 
Semple  and  Mrs.  Waller,  both  young  married 
ladies,  and  both  good-looking.  In  a  few  minutes 
all  the  other  company  left,  and  I  and  my  friend 
were  left  alone  with  the  family  circle.  The  Presi- 
dent took  a  seat  by  my  side,  and  requested  all  the 
parties  to  draw  up  their    chairs  nearer  the   fire, 

294 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

which  he  said  would  be  more  sociable,  and  then  he 
called  on  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Semple, '  As  we  were 
alone,'  he  said,  to  play  a  little  on  the  piano.  The 
young  lady  very  cheerfully  seated  herself  at  the 
piano  and  then  asked  her  father  what  she  should 
play.  '  Oh,  give  us  Rome,'  was  the  reply. 
She  played  it  and  sang  the  words.  It  was  a 
beautiful  piece  of  music  and  (according  to  my 
taste)  admirably  sung.  The  President  seemed 
very  much  interested  and  when  she  finished,  he 
remarked  to  me  that  he  was  very  fond  of  music — 
that  it  was  soothing  to  his  feelings,  and  that  he 
was  particularly  fond  of  hearing  that  piece,  as  it 
was  so  melancholy.  She  then  played  and  sang  an- 
other piece,  the  name  of  which  escaped  me — then 
he  said  he  would  let  her  off  with  a  third,  and  she 
must  sing,  '  I  would  be  a  boy  again.' 

"  She  sang  this  sweet  song  and  her  father  seemed 
to  be  in  ecstasies,  and  when  she  finished  he  re- 
marked to  me  that  the  sentiment  of  it  was  very 
pleasant  to  him — that  he  liked  to  go  back  in  mem- 
ory to  the  days  of  his  boyhood,  the  happiest  per- 
iod of  his  life — that  he  was  much  attached  to  his 
native  State,  and  delighted  to  ramble  in  the  fields 
— the  churchyards — and  in  solitary  parts,  where 

29s 


THE     LIFE      AND     LETTERS 

he  could  indulge  his  musings  and  his  tastes.  I 
told  him  that  I  was  glad  to  find  that  he  was  so 
much  of  a  boy,  that  I  had  something  of  the  same 
feeling  myself  and  liked  to  cherish  it.  *  Yes,'  he 
replied,  '  it  ought  to  be  cherished.  The  feelings 
and  scenes  and  hopes  of  our  youth  are  a  source  of 
great  happiness.' 

"  I  confess  I  was  much  interested  in  his  con- 
versation on  this  point,  for  it  showed  the  heart  of 
the  man,  and  it  excited  quite  an  attachment  to  him 
in  my  own  heart.  Then  we  passed  to  graver 
subjects,  and  he  spoke  of  the  cares  and  labors  and 
perplexities  of  his  station — how  wearing,  exhaust- 
ing and  troublesome ! — and  how  happy  he  should 
be  to  be  relieved  from  them  !  (By  the  way,  the 
people  will  relieve  him  from  them  as  soon  as  they 
possibly  can  /)  Ah,  thought  I,  what  is  it  to  be 
President  of  the  United  States  ?  Who  would 
desire  it  if  it  brings  with  it  such  troubles  and 
makes  one  so  miserable  ?  After  having  a  good 
chat  with  him  I  took  my  seat  by  the  side  of  his 
daughter,  and  found  her  equally  sociable  and 
agreeable.  The  President  is  remarkably  easy  and 
pleasant  in  his  manners,  very  polite  and  kind, 
without  the  least  affectation  or  constraint,  and  in 

296 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 


conversation  very  frank.  My  prejudices  were 
quite  removed,  and  I  felt  a  good  deal  of  sympa- 
thy for  him.  On  the  whole,  my  visit  to  the 
White  House  was  agreeable  and  instructive,  and 
I  must  say  that  the  reception  and  conduct  of  the 
President  and  his  family  were  such  as  met  exactly 
my  idea  of  a  plain  republican  President." 

It  was  also  to  his  son  that  many  pleasant  details 
of  his  Western  journeys  were  written :  as  of  the 
"  Prairie  Schooners,  as  they  call  them,  going  into 
the  city  loaded  with  wheat  or  fruit,  come  from  a 
great  distance,  some  of  them  more  than  two  hun- 
dred miles,  and  long  on  the  road.  They  call  them 
Prairie  Schooners  because,  with  their  swelling  can- 
vas tops,  they  look  like  schooners  coming  over 
the  prairie.  Generally  they  have  six  or  eight 
yoke  of  oxen  to  draw  the  wagon.  It  is  a  sight  to 
see  fifteen  or  twenty  of  these  great  baggage  wagons 
coming  along  together;  they  look  more  like  a 
caravan  of  the  East  than  anything  I  have  ever 
seen.  We  stopped  one  of  them  and  bought  some 
peaches  to  eat  along  the  road." 

He  would  write  of  the  prairies  carpeted  with 
flowers  of  all  colors,  across  which  they  could  ride 
for  days  without  a  road  to  guide   them,  meeting 

297 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

no  person  and  seeing  no  inhabited  dwelling ;  or 
of  "  Big  Thunder,  a  famous  Winnebago  Chief, 
who  lived  and  died  here  a  few  years  ago  (this  was 
in  1842,  on  the  prairies  west  of  Chicago),  an  in- 
veterate enemy  of  the  white  men,  who  kept  plun- 
dering his  countrymen  and  taking  their  lands  from 
them.  He  was  an  Indian  of  great  size  and  a  noble- 
looking  fellow.  Just  before  he  died  he  directed 
that  after  he  was  dead  they  should  place  him  in  a 
sitting  posture  on  the  top  of  a  beautiful  mound  in 
a  prairie  overlooking  a  grove,  with  his  blanket 
around  him  and  his  war  club  in  his  hands,  and 
surround  him  with  a  paling,  so  that  with  his  face 
to  the  east  he  could  keep  the  watch.  For,  he  said, 
there  would  be  a  great  battle  fought  on  that  field 
between  the  Indians  and  the  white  men.  The 
Indians  would  come  up  out  of  the  woods  and  the 
white  men  over  the  prairie,  and  he  promised  that 
he  would  keep  a  lookout.  If  the  white  men 
should  win  he  would  be  forever  silent ;  but  if  the 
Indians,  then  he  would  give  a  shout.  They  bur- 
ied him  just  as  he  said,  and  there  Big  Thunder 
sits,  with  the  paling  built  about  him,  with  his 
blanket  wrapped  around  him  and  his  war  club  in 
his   hands,  looking   out   upon   the  wood.     Your 

298 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 


Uncle  William  saw  him  twice,  the  last  time  only 
two  years  ago." 

Again  he  wrote  of  the  farm  at  "  Fox  River  " 
which  he  wished  to  buy  for  his  son.  Years  later, 
indeed,  the  farm  grew  into  a  reality,  though  in  the 
mysterious  Providence  of  God  it  became  rather  a 
tribute  to  the  loved  memory  of  his  son  than  a 
possession  to  be  enjoyed  with  him. 

In  the  midst  of  distractions  and  cares  the  father's 
heart  always  went  back  to  his  home.  "  I  shall 
make  it  a  special  object,"  he  wrote  to  Mrs.  Butler 
amid  the  toil  of  a  western  journey,  "  to  take  care 
of  all  the  widows  and  fatherless  whom  I  may  meet 
on  my  journey,  and  do  all  I  can  to  promote  their 
comfort  and  happiness,  remembering  always  that 
I  have  a  wife  and  children  whom  I  love,  whom  I 
may  never  see  again  ;  and  remembering  that  she 
and  they  may  be  left  widowed  and  fatherless,  and 
believing  in  the  superintending  care  and  provi- 
dence of  our  Heavenly  Father  that  He  will  raise 
up  for  them  those  who  will  take  interest  in  them 
in  the  day  of  their  need." 

Of  the  earlier  homes,  that  at  Geneva  made  the 
deepest  impression  on  Charles  Butler's  affections. 
"  When  I  revisit  these  scenes,"  runs  a  letter  writ- 


299 


THE     LIFE     AND      LETTERS 


ten  to  Mrs.  Butler  from  Geneva  long  after  the 
settling  in  New  York,  "  where  you  and  I  com- 
menced our  joint  pilgrimage,  where  so  much  has 
been  suffered  and  enjoyed,  the  houses,  the  people, 
the  trees,  the  shrubbery  and  the  flowers  around 
me  seem  like  familiar  friends ;  reminding  me  of 
the  past ;  bringing  to  view  the  good  and  the  evil 
of  our  existence,  the  light  and  shade,  the  joy  and 
sorrow.  I  never  saw  Geneva  look  so  beautiful; 
and  our  house  and  garden — how  could  I  ever  have 
consented  to  give  up  a  spot  so  lovely,  where  so 
much  might  have  been  enjoyed  with  a  contented 
heart ; — but  I  will  check  myself  against  a  breach  of 
the  commandment,  and  hope  God  will  forgive  me 
if  I  have  coveted  my  neighbor's  house  and  gar- 
den. I  feel  as  if  I  had  a  right  and  interest  In  It.  I 
claim  proprietorship  in  the  trees,  the  shrubbery, 
the  flowers  and  the  garden  itself  in  all  its  parts.  I 
say  to  the  trumpet  creepers,  to  the  noble  honey 
locust,  the  lofty  ailanthus,  and  the  branching  wil- 
lows, *  You  are  mine,  for  I  planted  you  there  ';  and 
as  I  walk  through  and  retrace  the  work  of  my 
hands  I  can  hold  converse  with  the  things  around 
me  as  If  they  were  creatures  with  life  and  reason. 
I  see  In  each  a  child  which  I  once  idolized." 


300 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

With  such  longing  for  the  old  associations  and 
for  the  sights  and  sounds  and  fragrances  of  nature, 
city  homes  could  never  fully  satisfy  Charles  Butler. 
The  earliest  one  in  Bleecker  Street  had  been  sold 
in  the  distressing  year  of  illness.  The  next  one 
in  Eleventh  Street  gave  place,  after  some  years, 
to  that  hospitable  house  in  Fourteenth  Street,  still 
remembered  by  many  who  were  interested  in  the 
civic,  philanthropic,  religious  or  educational  move- 
ments which  had  their  inception  within  its  walls. 
Later  still  came  the  removal  to  Park  Avenue, 
where  the  remaining  years  of  his  useful  life  were 
spent.  But  city  homes  were  after  all  to  Charles 
Butler,  mainly  places  from  which  influences  might 
radiate,  and  his  heart  always  clung  to  its  early  love 
for  the  trees  and  the  birds  and  the  flowers. 

With  this  passion,  his  son  Ogden  was  in  fullest 
sympathy.  The  young  man — a  youth  of  high  prom- 
ise, who  had  graduated  with  honors  at  New  York 
University,  and  who  bade  fair  to  carry  on  the  family 
name,and  the  family  tradition  of  useful  service — did 
not  come  to  full  strength  in  his  first  years  of  man- 
hood. For  his  sake  in  1 853  his  father  purchased  the 
estate,  then  known  as  Evergreen  Farm,  at  Scarsdale, 
which  later, with  the  improvements  inaugurated  by 

301 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

Ogden,  and  carried  out  by  himself  and  by  his  father, 
developed  into  the  charming  country  seat  to  which 
the  old  colonial  name  of  "  Fox  Meadow  "  was  re- 
stored. But  the  joy  of  possession  was  followed 
quickly  by  an  overwhelming  sorrow.  Ogden's 
health  had  never  been  robust,  and  in  the  winter  of 
1855-6  it  failed  rapidly.  The  spring  days  brought 
longings  for  the  country  home,  to  which  in  May 
he  was  removed.  He  was  able  to  take  a  few 
drives  through  the  farm,  to  look  at  the  vineries 
and  greenhouses  which  he  had  begun  to  build,  and 
to  feel  the  fresh  air  of  the  coming  summer.  Then, 
on  the  6th  of  June,  1856,  with  the  promise  of  the 
fullness  of  this  life  unfolding  before  him,  he  passed 
into  the  next,  his  last  words,  of  resignation  and 
even  of  cheer,  helping  to  sustain  those  around 
him. 

"  Alas,"  wrote  Thomas  Carlyle,  on  learning  of 
his  friend's  great  loss,  "  I  can  too  well  understand 
what  a  blank  of  utter  sorrow  and  desolation  that 
sad  loss  must  have  left  in  your  household,  and 
in  the  heart  of  everybody  there.  Your  one  son, 
and  such  a  son,  cut  off  in  the  flower  of  his 
days,  so  many  high  hopes,  for  himself  and  for 
others,  suddenly  abolished   forever  !      It  is  hard 

302 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

for  flesh  and  blood  :  — and  yet  it  must  be  borne  ; 
there  is  no  relief  from  that ;  and  all  Wisdom,  out 
of  all  ages,  bids  us  say,  *  Good  is  the  will  of  the 
Lord,' — though  that  is  so  hard  to  do.  You  do 
well  not  to  slacken  in  your  labor ;  to  keep  doing, 
so  long  as  the  day  is,  the  duty  of  the  day.  I  know 
no  other  remedy  so  sure  of  ultimately  helping  in 
all  sorrows  whatsoever.  Let  us  work  while  it  is 
called  to-day.  In  a  very  little  while  we  too  shall 
follow  into  the  silent  Kingdom  the  loved  ones  that 
have  already  gone ;  and  one  divine  Eternity  will 
hold  us  all  again, — and  as  God  may  have  ap- 
pointed for  them  and  for  us.  Surely  He  will  have 
appointed  Weill  "  This  was  the  one  consolation 
most  suited  to  Mr.  Butler's  habit  of  mind.  He 
took  up  his  work  with  earnestness,  and  so,  at  last, 
the  wound  was  healed  through  service. 

The  records  of  many  institutions  in  New  York 
City  bear  witness  to  his  long-continued  and  active 
interest.  He  was  one  of  the  founders,  in  1835,  of 
the  New  York  Half-Orphan  Asylum.  He  suc- 
ceeded James  Boorman,  who  was  the  first  Presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  continued  in 
that  ofiice  until  his  death.  To  New  York  Uni- 
versity he  gave  also  more  than  sixty  years  of  con- 

303 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


tinuous  service.  On  January  6,  1830,  a  repre- 
sentative conference  of  citizens  was  held  at  the 
rooms  of  the  Historical  Society  at  which  a  docu- 
ment was  presented,  entitled,  "  Considerations 
upon  the  Expediency  and  the  Means  of  Estab- 
lishing a  University  in  the  City  of  New  York." 
At  this  first  meeting  the  presiding  officer  was 
Hon.  Morgan  Lewis,  a  distinguished  citizen  in 
war,  in  law,  and  in  politics,  once  a  Chief  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and 
afterwards  Governor  of  the  State.  The  first 
Council  of  the  University  was  organized  in  Oc- 
tober, 1 830,  and  Albert  Gallatin  became  its  presi- 
dent.    The  charter  was  obtained  in  April,  1831. 

The  institution  was  founded  in  a  liberal  spirit. 
The  earliest  documents  show  a  comprehension  of 
the  whole  subject  of  University  needs,  and  a  grasp 
of  the  problems  to  be  solved  in  higher  education, 
which  would  be  noteworthy  even  now  after  the  ex- 
perience gained  in  three-quarters  of  a  century.  It 
was  intended  to  include  at  least  four  faculties — a 
faculty  of  letters,  of  science  and  arts,  of  medicine, 
and  of  law; — and  it  was  planned  to  provide  for  uni- 
versity education  on  a  broader  scheme  than  was  at 
that  time  in  practice,  or  even  in  organized  theory 

304 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

in  this  country.  Even  the  schools  of  pedagogy, 
which  we  are  accustomed  to  think,  the  conception 
of  recent  years,  were  anticipated  in  a  professorship 
of  *'  The  Philosophy  of  Education  and  the  In- 
struction of  Teachers." 

In  October,  1832,  instruction  was  begun  in 
hired  rooms  in  Clinton  Hall ;  five  years  later  a 
building  was  completed  on  Washington  Square, 
which  long  sheltered  the  institution.  One  by  one 
the  proposed  faculties  were  organized.  The 
Schools  of  Arts  and  Sciences  were  the  first  to  be 
in  complete  operation,  with  such  men  as  Tayler 
Lewis,  John  W.  Draper,  and  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse 
among  the  professors  appointed  in  these  earlier 
years.  In  July,  1833,  Benjamin  Franklin  Butler 
presented  a  "  Plan  for  the  Organization  of  a  Law 
School  in  the  University  of  New  York,"  which 
he  had  prepared,  with  the  aid  of  John  C.  Spencer, 
David  Graham,  and  William  Kent,  at  the  request 
of  the  authorities  of  the  University.  This  able 
paper  has  served  as  a  basis  of  law  school  work  to 
such  an  extent  as  to  justify  the  statement  that  its 
authors  were  virtually  the  founders  of  the  law 
schools  of  the  United  States ;  for  there  was  then, 
it  may  be  recalled,  no   University  law  school  in 

305 


THE     LIFE     AND      LETTERS 

this  country,  though  lectures  had  been  given  by 
Chancellor  Kent  as  Professor  of  Law  at  Colum- 
bia. The  school  was  tentatively  opened  in  1838, 
with  addresses  by  its  founder,  who  was  to  be  senior 
professor,  and  by  William  Kent  and  David  Gra- 
ham, the  associate  professors.  The  official  duties 
of  Mr.  Benjamin  F.  Butler  and  the  financial  weak- 
ness of  the  University  prevented  its  continuance 
at  that  time  ;  twenty  years  later  it  was  perma- 
nently opened,  still  modeled  closely  on  the  origi- 
nal lines. 

Many  men  have  aided  the  University  in  its  life 
of  three-quarters  of  a  century,  yet  it  remains  as  a 
monument  to  the  devoted  labors  of  a  few.  Among 
these  Charles  Butler  was  one  whose  long  term  of 
service,  whose  courage  in  seasons  of  depression, 
and  whose  counsel  in  times  of  perplexity,  have 
made  his  name  most  honorable  in  the  history  of 
the  institution.  From  the  first  day  of  his  en- 
trance into  the  Council  in  1836,  to  the  day  of  his 
death,  he  gave  to  the  University  unwavering  sup- 
port. It  will  not  be  possible  here  to  recount  his 
constant,  complex  and  modestly  rendered  services. 
They  were  of  especial  value  in  at  least  three  criti- 
cal periods.     The  first  of  these  was  in  1839,  when 

306 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 


he  had  just  returned  from  Europe.  The  Univer- 
sity, like  all  other  enterprises  not  secured  by  ample 
endowments,  had  passed  through  a  season  of 
financial  stress  in  the  panic  years  of  1837  and 
1838.  The  result  was  a  condition  that  looked 
at  the  time  very  like  bankruptcy.  Charles  Butler, 
with  a  few  others,  came  to  the  rescue,  and  though 
not  able  himself  at  that  time  to  contribute  largely 
from  his  own  means,  succeeded  in  raising  a  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars,  an  amount  which  seems 
small  in  these  days  of  miUions,  but  which  was 
then  sufficient  to  extinguish  the  floating  debt,  and 
to  give  the  new  Chancellor,  Dr.  Frelinghuysen, 
a  basis  for  his  work. 

The  second  critical  period  was  in  1849  and 
1850.  Through  the  previous  decade  the  Univer- 
sity had  steadily  grown  in  influence  and  in  educa- 
tional stability,  but  its  financial  strength  had  in- 
creased so  slowly  that  many  of  i-ts  friends  wavered 
in  their  faith.  Charles  Butler  was  then  in  active 
professional  life  with  seemingly  every  moment 
mortgaged  to  the  important  business  interests  to 
which  he  was  adviser,  but  at  great  sacrifice  he 
took,  in  1848,  the  temporary  Presidency  of  the 
Council.     He  was  aided  by  such  men  as  George 

307 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

Griswold,  John  C.  Green,  afterward  President  of 
the  Council,  and  the  noble  band  who  then  formed 
the  Faculty  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  The  task  was 
arduous,  but  happily  was  in  the  end  successful. 

It  would  hardly  seem  probable  that  the  history 
of  so  stable  an  institution  as  New  York  University 
should  afford  yet  another  opportunity  for  record- 
ing the  courage  and  fidelity  of  a  single  member 
of  its  governing  board.  Yet  such  a  condition 
came  in  1881.  The  panic  of  1873  overthrew  the 
well-laid  plans  for  a  large  increase  of  the  endow- 
ment ;  the  establishment  of  a  system  of  free  tui- 
tion in  the  undergraduate  department,  undertaken 
from  a  motive  of  the  highest  philanthrooy,  proved 
unwise  both  from  an  educational  and  from  a 
business  standpoint ;  the  failure  of  a  great  railroad 
corporation  seriously  impaired  the  vested  funds  of 
the  University;  and  counsels  of  despair  began  to 
prevail  in  the  governing  board.  Before  the  more 
courageous  friends  of  the  Undergraduate  College 
realized  the  situation  a  tentative  resolution  was 
voted  to  suspend  the  School  of  Arts  and  Sciences 
and  to  throw  its  endowment  over  to  the  other 
schools.  Athough  then  seventy-nine,  Charles 
Butler  resisted  the  proposal  with  all  the  energy 

308 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


of  youth.  Aided  in  the  Council  by  William  A. 
Wheelock,  William  Allen  Butler,  and  others,  and 
in  the  Faculty  by  Henry  Draper  and  the  other 
professors,  he  successfully  combatted  this  resolu- 
tion. A  period  of  prosperity  soon  followed  which 
justified  the  predictions  of  his  earlier  days.  He  re- 
mained President  of  the  Council  from  1886  to 
the  end  of  his  life,  and  rejoiced  in  the  successful 
transference  of  certain  Schools  of  the  University 
to  the  magnificent  site  at  University  Heights, 
where  the  "  Charles  Butler  Hall  "  stands  as  a 
memorial  to  his  long  and  useful  labors. 

Union  Theological  Seminary,  to  which  Charles 
Butler  gave  sixty-two  years  of  active  assistance, 
was  founded  in  1835.  ^  board  of  directors  was 
constituted  consisting  of  ten  clergymen  and  four- 
teen laymen,  of  whom  Mr.  Butler  was  one.  The 
first  meeting  of  this  board  of  directors  was  held 
in  January,  1836,  and  the  Seminary  was  opened 
for  instruction  in  December  of  the  same  year,  with 
thirteen  students,  who  met  at  the  homes  of  the 
President  and  of  the  professors,  in  Leonard  Street, 
Eldridge  Street,  Nassau  Street,  and  other  localities 
long  since  abandoned  as  residence  quarters.  A 
building  was    planned  and   a  site  for  it  selected 

309 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

between  University  Place  and  Greene  Street. 
"This  locality,"  said  Dr.  Hatfield,*  "  was  well  up- 
town, quite  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city.  Popula- 
tion had  been  speeding  from  what  was  then  fa- 
miliarly known  as  Greenwich  Village,  along  the 
Hudson  River,  northward  ;  and,  in  like  manner, 
along  Third  Avenue,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
city.  A  few  improvements  had  been  made  along 
the  Bloomingdale  Road  from  its  junction  with 
the  Bowery  Road,  at  Seventeenth  Street,  to  the 
House  of  Refuge,  which  stood  at  the  starting 
point  of  the  old  Boston  Road,  on  the  westerly 
side  of  the  present  Madison  Square,  extending  to 
the  present  Broadway,  and  covering  the  site  of 
the  Worth  Monument.  Union  Place,  now  Union 
Square,  had  just  been  opened,  at  the  forks  of 
Broadway  and  the  Bowery,  but  was  still  unim- 
proved. Eighth  Street,  and  a  few  of  the  parallel 
streets  above,  opened  but  a  few  years  before,  were 
beginning  to  exhibit  some  evidences  of  substantial 
improvement.  With  these  exceptions,  vacant 
lots,  unpaved  streets,  primitive  roads  and  lanes, 
open  fields,  and  country  seats,  many  of  them 
highly  cultivated  and  of  considerable  extent,  cov- 

*  Early  Annals  of  Union  Theological  Seminary. 

310 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

ered  the  island  to  the  north,  as  far  as  the  ancient 
Dutch  village  of  Harlem. 

"  The  General  Theological  Seminary  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  some  ten  years  be- 
fore had  been  erected  far  out  of  the  city  ;  and 
near  it,  on  Twentieth  Street,  an  Episcopal  chapel 
(St.  Peter's)  of  small  capacity,  had  been  erected  in 
1832.  Old  St.  Mark's  occupied  its  present  site 
on  Tenth  Street,  near  Second  Avenue.  Two  or 
three  mission  stations,  in  advance  of  the  popula- 
tion, were  struggling  for  a  foothold  in  the  outlying 
districts.  Excepting  these,  not  a  church  edifice  of 
any  description  was  to  be  found  on  the  island,  be- 
low the  villages  of  Bloomingdale  and  Harlem, 
above  Tenth  Street.  A  new  Presbyterian  church 
had  just  been  erected  in  Mercer  Street,  near 
Eighth  Street,  which  for  many  subsequent  years 
was  the  '  Up-town  Church '  of  the  denomination. 
The  stately  structure  erected  for  the  University  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  on  the  block  below  the 
new  purchase,  had  just  been  occupied  in  part,  but 
was  not  fully  completed.  Wooster  Street  had  just 
been  extended  to  Fourteenth  Street,  and  the  part 
above  the  University  widened  and  called  Jackson 
Avenue, — a   name    shortly    after   exchanged   for 

311 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

University  Place.  The  location  was  deemed  quite 
eligible,  near  enough  to  the  business  portion  of  the 
city,  and  sufficiently  remote  for  a  quiet  literary 
retreat." 

The  new  Seminary  had  numerous  trials  in  its 
early  days.  "The  period*  from  1837  to  1850," 
said  Charles  Butler  long  afterwards,  "  was  one  of 
extraordinary  financial  difficulty  and  vicissitudes, 
— unparalleled,  indeed,  in  the  history  of  the  coun- 
try. The  existence  of  the  Seminary  during  all 
these  years  was  a  struggle  with  poverty,  and  the 
difficulties  inseparable  from  poverty.  The  silver 
lining  to  the  cloud  which  hovered  over  us,  dark 
and  threatening,  especially  from  1837  to  1842,  was 
visible  only  to  the  eye  of  faith  ;  and  while  faith 
with  some  was  weak  and  often  wearied,  yet  with 
others  in  the  Board  at  this  time  it  was  not  only 
hopeful,  but  brilliant  even  in  the  darkest  hour.  I 
can  recall  in  memory,  but  cannot  describe,  the 
feeling  which  pervaded  and  was  reflected  in  the 
countenances  of  members  when  called  together  to 
consider  what  could  be  done  to  meet  impending 
exigencies.  These  meetings  were  generally  at- 
tended by  the  Professors  as  well,  and  were  always 

*  Quoted  from  the  MS.  reminiscences  of  Charles  Butler. 

3" 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

opened  and  closed  with  prayer.  There  was  a  close 
bond  of  union  between  the  Faculty  and  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Board.  The  tender  sympathy  which 
comes  ever  from  sharing  one  another's  burdens 
marked  their  deliberations,  and  was  evidenced  in 
all  that  was  said  and  done.  Prayer  and  supplica- 
tion for  Divine  support  and  guidance  were  not 
wanting.      Nor  were  they  fruitless." 

It  was  in  this  dark  period  that  the  direction  of 
affairs  in  the  Seminary  Board  was  committed  to 
the  two  men  under  whose  charge  it  remained  for 
nearly  sixty  years.  In  1840  Mr.  Richard  Towne- 
ley  Haines  became  President  of  the  Board  of  Di- 
rectors, and  Mr.  Charles  Butler  Vice-President. 
At  Mr.  Haines's  death  in  1870,  Mr.  Butler  was 
made  President,  and  continued  in  this  office  until 
his  own  death  in  1897.  Union  Seminary  has  had 
many  men  in  its  Faculty  whom  the  Christian 
world  delights  to  honor,  such  as  Edward  Robin- 
son, Henry  B.  Smith,  Roswell  D.  Hitchcock, 
Philip  Schaff,  and  William  Adams ;  but  with  these 
it  also  holds  in  grateful  remembrance  the  two  men 
who  stood  so  long  at  the  head  of  its  Board  of  Di- 
rectors. The  proper  support  of  the  Seminary  was 
especially  a  problem  with  Charles  Butler.     With 

313 


THE     LIFE      AND     LETTERS 

this  object  in  view  he  called  a  meeting  at  his 
house  in  February,  1852.  A  committee  was  ap- 
pointed of  which  he  was  made  chairman.  A  state- 
ment was  issued,  and  this  was  followed  by  an  ap- 
peal which  secured  financial  stability  until  1870 
and  1872,  when  the  munificent  gifts  of  Mr.  James 
Brown,  Governor  Morgan  and  others  provided 
for  a  liberal  endowment  and  a  new  building. 

In  1890  Charles  Butler  gave  a  large  sum  of 
money  to  New  York  University  "  as  a  tribute  to 
the  memory  of  my  beloved  son  A.  Ogden  Butler, 
who  graduated  from  it  in  the  class  of  1853  and 
who  diedinjune  of  the  year  1856,  and  also  as  a  trib- 
ute to  the  memory  of  my  beloved  brother  Benja- 
min F.  Butler,  who  was  the  founder  of  the  Law 
School  in  the  University  and  its  first  professor, 
who  died  in  November,  1 858,  in  the  city  of  Paris." 

At  the  same  time  he  made  a  similar  gift  to 
endow  a  Professorship  of  Biblical  Theology  in 
Union  Seminary,  naming  it  in  memory  of  the  emi- 
nent Dr.  Edward  Robinson,  who  had  been  pro- 
fessor in  the  seminary  and  a  valued  friend  for 
many  years.  It  so  happened  that  the  first  ap- 
pointment to  this  Chair  stirred  up  a  notable  con- 
tention between  the  advocates  and  the  opponents 

314- 


From  a  photograph  taken  in  1882 


r  H  V  N  D     L  E  T  T  E  R  S 


this  object  in  view  he  called  a  meeting  at  his 
house  in  February,  1852.  A  comrTtittee  was  ap- 
pointed of  which  he  was  m-^*^  <  ^  A  state- 
ment was  issued,  and  this  waif  1  ;i  by  an  ap- 
peal which  Rc  until  1870 
and  1  Mr.  James 
Br  provided 
^(-■^                :  endowment  an'-l 

■ju  Charles   Butler  ^  am  of 

y  to  New  Y    "    '  '   '  -jte  to 

then  ofmybeiove  ;  -^ 

who  ^  ;ted  from  it  in  the  class  of  1853  and 
who  died  in  June  of  the  year  1856,  and  also  as  a  trib- 
ute to  the  memory  of  my  beloved  brother  Benja- 
min F.  Butler,  who  was  the  founder  of  the  Law 
School  in  the  University  and  its  first  professor, 
who  died  in  November,  1 858,  in  the  city  of  Paris." 
At  the  sani.  e  he  made  a  similar  gift  to 
endow  a    Profes*  'iur^o!   'yk.-.,.!,^,-,,,  ;*, 

Union  S  ry,  naming  it  i  tnc  emi- 

nent Dr.  1  1   Robin^  i  pro- 

fessor in   the  seminary  ar  1    for 

many  years.     It  so   hani  ■  he  first  ap- 

pointment  to  this  Chair  s;    ,    .     i    ..     otaMe  con- 
-on  between  the  advocates  and  the  opponents 

314 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 


of  the  "  higher  criticism  "  whose  echoes  are  hardly 
yet  silent.  It  was  characteristic  of  the  broad- 
minded  man  who  founded  the  professorship  that 
although  then  nearly  ninety,  and  come  to  years 
when  conservatism  in  most  men  has  become  a 
fixed  habit  in  life,  he  yet  led  the  van  on  the  lib- 
eral side  of  the  contest. 

What  he  was  through  all  its  years  to  this  insti- 
tution may  be  told  in  the  words  of  Dr,  Prentiss, 
spoken  in  1886  at  the  semi-centennial  of  Union 
Theological     Seminary :    "Gladly    too    would    I 
speak    of    some   of  the    living    benefactors    to 
whom   we   owe   so  much;    not    to    please  them, 
for  they  have  a  better  reward,  but  to  give  vent 
to  the  grateful  emotions  that  fill  our  hearts.     Of 
one  of  them,  indeed,  it  would  be  a   wrong   not 
to  speak;  and   my  words,  I  know,   will  find    a 
cordial    response    in   all     your  breasts.      I  think 
God    has  spared    him   to  more    than    fourscore 
years,  to  the  end  that  in  his  person  we  might  see 
with  our  eyes  to-day  what  sort  of  men  planned 
and   reared    this   temple  of  sacred    learning.    In 
your   name,  in   the   name  of  the   Faculty,  in  the 
name  of  the  Board   of  Directors,  I   congratulate 
the  venerable   President  of  the   Board  on  being 

315 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

permitted  to  keep  with  us  this  semi-centennial 
anniversary.     God  bless  him  !" 

In  recognition  of  the  long  years  of  faithful  ser- 
vice given  to  it,  the  New  York  University  in 
1887  conferred  the  degree  of  LL.D.  on  Mr. 
Butler. 

He  had  previously  received  the  same  degree 
from  Wabash  College  in  recognition  of  the  dis- 
tinguished services  rendered  by  him  to  the  State 
of  Indiana. 


3 16 


CHAPTER   VIII 

LATER  YEARS PATRIOTIC  SERVICES FRIENDS 

AT     HOME     AND    ABROAD ^JOURNEYS    IN 

EUROPE FOX    MEADOW CLOSING 

SCENES    OF    LIFE 


IN  many  lives  the  sixtieth  birthday  marks  the 
beginning  of  gentle  decline ;  in  that  of 
Charles  Butler  it  marked  the  opening  of  a 
full  third  of  his  career, — a  period  crowned  with 
honors,  adorned  with  friendships,  and  filled  with 
useful  services.  As  he  reached  threescore  the  war 
of  the  rebellion  had  come  to  its  most  serious  stage, 
and  had  created  problems  which  were  a  matter  of 
much  concern  to  far-sighted  men.  He  was  in- 
tensely loyal,  and  devoted  much  time  during  the 
years  1863  and  1864  to  efforts  for  sustaining  the 
government,  in  so  doing  co-operating  with  other 
prominent  men  of  New  York, — some  of  whom  are 
still  living. 

New  York  City,  though  in  the  main  loyal,  con- 

317 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

tained  many  citizens  whose  business  interests  and 
political  principles  led  them  to  sympathize  with 
the  Southern  cause.  In  February,  1863,  these 
Southern  sympathizers  were  in  the  habit  of  hold- 
ing meetings  in  support  of  their  cause  at  Delmon- 
ico's,  then  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Fifth  Ave- 
nue and  14th  Street.  Many  were  sincere  in  their 
convictions,  but  to  patriots  loyal  to  the  Union  it 
was  clear  that  their  efforts  meant  disaster  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  nation.  To  oppose  them  and 
to  strengthen  the  Union  sentiment,  on  the  14th 
of  February,  1863,  Charles  Butler  called  a  meet- 
ing of  citizens  at  his  house.  No.  13  East  14th 
Street,  a  few  doors  only  from  the  gatherings  of  the 
enemy,  to  consider  the  situation,  and  to  form  an 
organization  in  support  of  the  government.  The 
house  was  filled  to  overflowing,  including  halls 
and  stairways,  with  representative  men  of  all  oc- 
cupations and  professions.  Charles  King,  then 
President  of  Columbia  College,  was  chairman  of 
the  meeting.  There  was  animated  discussion  as 
to  what  could  be  done  to  support  the  government 
against  the  rebellion.  One  feeling  prevailed,  to 
which  utterance  was  given  in  enthusiastic  speeches 
— a  realizing  sense  that  unity  of  action  must  be 

318 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

secured,  and  that  all  good  citizens  must  come  for- 
ward in  the  nation's  defence.  To  this  end  a  club 
was  formed  to  publish  loyal  tracts  and  papers  for 
circulation  in  the  city  and  in  the  army.  This  was 
the  "  Loyal  Publication  Society,"  of  which  Pro- 
fessor Lieber,  the  eminent  scholar  and  physicist, 
became  President,  and  which  did  valiant  service  in 
the  succeeding  years. 

This  meeting  also  tended  to  strengthen  a  move- 
ment for  a  Loyal  or  Union  League  in  the  city, 
which  it  was  proposed  to  form  then  and  there. 
Seth  Hunt  made  a  thrilling  speech  in  support  of 
this  proposition.  But  it  was  learned  that  a  meet- 
ing with  this  object  in  view  had  just  been  called 
by  certain  patriotic  gentlemen,  and  it  was  at  once 
resolved  to  give  hearty  support  to  the  Association 
which  they  were  preparing  to  organize  under  the 
name  of"  The  Union  League,"  afterwards  changed 
to  "  The  Union  League  Club."  The  services  of 
this  Club  in  the  war  days  are  a  part  of  the  honor- 
able history  of  New  York  City,  and  a  source  of 
just  pride  to  many  still  living  who  were  then  its 
members.  Charles  Butler  was  one  of  the  earlier 
members,  and  was  prominent  in  its  councils.  He 
was  chairman  of  a  committee  of  twenty-one  "  for 

319 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

the  better  accomplishment  of  the  objects  of  the 
Association  in  bringing  its  moral  influence  to  bear 
directly  and  practically  in  aid  of  the  efforts  of  the 
National  Government  for  the  suppression  of  the 
rebellion,  and  in  the  discountenancing  of  all  dis- 
loyalty to  the  Government  in  this  State  and  in  this 
City." 

Two  events  of  the  year  1864  he  used  to  recall 
in  after  years  with  peculiar  interest.  One  was  the 
organization  by  the  Club  of  the  26th  Regiment  of 
United  States  colored  troops,  to  which  the  club 
presented  a  banner  when  it  took  its  departure  for 
the  seat  of  war.  This  was  commemorated,  twenty- 
two  years  later,  when  sixty-six  surviving  members 
of  the  days  of  1 864  gave  a  dinner  in  honor  of  that 
event.  Another  pleasant  reminiscence  of  this  year 
was  the  visit  of  Goldwin  Smith,  and  a  breakfast  at 
which  Mr.  Butler  presided,  given  to  him  by  the 
Union  League  Club.  Goldwin  Smith  was  most 
warmly  welcomed  in  the  United  States  as  one  of 
the  few  staunch  supporters  in  England  of  the 
principles  of  the  Union. 

Mr.  Butler  was  an  active  member  of  the  New 
York  Board  of  the  American  Union  Commission, 
which  afterwards   formed  an  organic  union  with 

320 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

the  American  Freedman's  Aid  Commission,  and 
did  good  service  in  caring  for  the  suffering  union 
refugees  of  the  south.  He  had  the  intense  loyalty 
which  his  life  of  steadfastness  had  made  a  part  of 
his  whole  character ;  but  he  had  also  much  sym- 
pathy for  those  at  the  South,  to  whom  the  horrors 
of  war  had  brought  misery,  and  for  those  of  the 
newly  enfranchised  blacks  whose  immediate  con- 
dition had  been  made  worse  rather  than  better  by 
the  new  opportunity  opening  to  them,  so  that  this 
work  was  peculiarly  congenial  to  him. 

Almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  business  life 
was  left  to  him  after  the  excitements  of  the  war 
time  had  passed  away,  a  period  crowded  in  its 
earlier  years,  and  filled  to  its  end,  with  important 
responsibilities.  He  was  for  fifteen  years  Presi- 
dent of  what  was  then  an  important  western  rail- 
road, was  a  member  of  the  Boards  of  several  other 
railroads,  and  was  counsel  for  corporations  in  In- 
diana, Mississippi  and  Illinois.  Railways  as  in- 
struments in  settling  the  country  always  interested 
him  as  did  all  other  lines  of  development  in  the 
west,  to  which  in  earlier  years  he  had  given  so 
much  thought. 

Mr.  Butler's  broadly  sympathetic    nature  led 

3^1 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


him  to  make  many  friends  on  his  long  journey 
through  the  world.     His  rough    expeditions    to 
the  West  (repeated  several  times  annually  during 
many  years),  as  well  as  his  visits   to    the  South, 
were  cheered  by  the  companionships  which  he  was 
ever  ready  to  enjoy  even  in  business  connections. 
His  work  with  others  during  the  stirring  period  of 
the  Civil  War  cemented  many  of  his  most  valued 
friendships.     When  obliged  by   advancing  years 
to  give  up  business  avocations,  he  threw  himself 
with  added  earnestness  into  educational  and  phil- 
anthropic work,  where  the   common    interest  of 
caring  for  the  welfare  of  University  and  Seminary 
students,  or  for  the  poor  children  of  New  York, 
or  of  Westchester  Country,  aroused  warm  feelings 
of  personal  sympathy  on  his  part  for  his  associates 
which  were    as   warmly   responded   to    by  them. 
His  life  in  New  York  was  full  of  quiet  social  en- 
joyment and  his  journeys  to  Europe  added  to  his 
list  of  friends.     Among  his  letters  are  many  from 
these  friends    separated    by    an    ocean — some  of 
which  throw  additional  light  on  persons  or  events 
of  more  or  less  general  interest. 

In    1854  Mr.    Butler    had  received  from  Mr. 
Carlyle    a  letter   introducing   an    English    artist. 


322 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


Mr.   Samuel  Lawrence,  who   visited  him   during 
the  months  of  Mrs.  Butler's  absence  in  Europe. 
The  artist's  enjoyment  of  this  hospitality  is  ex- 
pressed   in  a  letter  written   by  him  at  the  time 
to  Mrs.  Butler :  "  I  have  made  several  drawings 
in  that  front  room    on  the   second  story  which 
Mr.  Butler  has  been  so  good  as  to  let  me  have ; 
but  I  hope  you  will  not  find  that  it  has  been  con- 
verted into  a   dirty  painter's  studio,  such  as  you 
may  have  seen  during  your  travels.     The  posses- 
sion of  this  room  has  been  a  source  of  great  pleas- 
ure, giving   me  the  companionship  of  one  of  the 
most  amiable  men  I  have  ever  met  with,  doubly 
valuable  to  me  in  this  foreign  country,  though  it 
is  odd  to  call  that  foreign  which  has  in  it  so  much 
of  my    own    England.     Yet   the   aspect    of  the 
streets  in  New  York  is  rather  French  than  Eng- 
lish, mainly  owing  to  the  trees,  I  think,  which  the 
June  sun  has  just  now  brought  suddenly  into  full 
leaf     This   climate  I  find,  so  far,  more  variable 
even  than  our  English  one  ;  but  the  one  you  are 
now  in  (Italy)  is  the  pattern  one  for  splendor." 

Another  acquaintance  formed  through  Mr.  Car- 
lyle's  introduction  was  with  Hon.  E.  Lyulph  Stan- 
ley, who  first  visited  this  country  in  1 864.  His  lib- 


327 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

cral  principles  and  his  generous  sympathy  with  the 
United  States  during  the  Civil  War  established  a 
bond  of  friendship  between  the  two  men  in  spite 
of  the  difference  of  age.  His  letters  were  always 
welcome  for  their  comments  on  events  of  public 
interest  as  well  as  for  their  items  of  domestic  news. 
A  correspondence  with  James  Anthony  Froude 
contains  this  prediction,  which  has  interest  in  the 
light  of  recent  national  events :  "  I  am  more  and 
more  confident  that  the  future  of  the  Anglo-Saxon 
race  is  with  you  and  not  with  us."  Of  Mr.  Carlyle 
in  December,  1878,  he  wrote  :  "  Carlyle  is  wonder- 
fully well.  I  drove  with  him  this  afternoon  with 
sharp  frost  and  the  carriage-windows  open.  He  is 
83  years  old";  and  again  a  few  months  later: 
"  Carlyle  is  well.  I  drive  two  days  a  week  with 
him.  He  cannot  write  and  walks  with  difficulty, 
but  otherwise  I  see  no  change  in  him.  He  thinks 
continually  of  death  and,  I  suppose,  wishes  for  it, 
but  his  intellect  is  as  much  alive  as  ever.  Bret 
Harte  is  in  England  on  a  lecturing  tour.  He 
comes  next  week  to  stay  with  me.  I  am  sorry  to 
see  such  fine  faculties  frittered  away  on  platforms, 
and  the  delicate  edge  taken  oflF  them.  Goethe 
says  that  a  man  has  no  sooner  shown  the  power 

3*4 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

of  doing  anything  considerable  than  the  world  is 
in  a  conspiracy  to  prevent  him  from  doing  it. 
Bret  Harte  suffers  from  the  world,  and  not  from 
worldliness,  of  which  few  men  have  so  little." 

Mr.  Froude  wrote  often  of  his  literary  work,  as 
in  1876  :  "  I  am  on  the  point  of  bringing  out  a 
book  on  Caesar,  which  Scribners  will  republish. 
An  author  is  the  worst  judge  of  his  own  work,  or 
I  should  say  I  had  never  done  anything  so  good 
before.  I  suppose  the  critics  will  undeceive  me." 
At  another  time  he  sent  words  of  friendly  sym- 
pathy :  "  When  a  family  has  been  so  happy  and 
united  as  yours  the  departure  of  successive  mem- 
bers of  it  only  endears  more  entirely  to  each 
other  those  that  remain.  Life  which  in  its  public 
aspect  is  so  meaningless  and  poor,  is  full  behind 
the  scenes  of  tenderness  and  sweetness  and  pur- 
pose. The  worthlessness  of  the  political  results 
of  it  seems  to  say  that  it  is  a  school  of  personal 
character,  and  that  we  must  wait  to  know  its  real 
meaning  until  our  education  days  are  over." 

The  historian  has  been  severely  criticized  for 
the  use  made  of  the  papers  entrusted  to  his 
charge  by  his  friend.  But  his  purity  of  purpose 
is  shown  by  a  letter  dated   February  28,  1883  : 

325 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


"  I  am  going  on  with  my  strange  task  of  editing 
Carlyle's  memoirs.  His  wife's  letters  will  be  pub- 
lished in  a  few  weeks.  I  do  not  know  whether 
there  will  be  an  American  edition  or  not.  The 
subject  is  so  entirely  personal  and  domestic  that 
your  people  may  care  nothing  about  it.  But  they 
contain  a  perfect  picture  of  Carlyle — lights  and 
shadows  both." 

As  will  be  still  remembered,  shortly  after  Mr. 
Matthew  Arnold's  return  from  America,  a  fraud- 
ulent newspaper  communication  represented  him 
as  an  unamiable  critic  of  this  country.  His  real 
feelings  are  expressed  in  a  letter  which  he  wrote 
at  once:  "My  dear  Mr.  Butler,  if  you  could 
have  heard  us  all  talking  over  in  these  last  few 
weeks  America  and  our  friends  there  you  would 
know  what  are  the  recollections  which  we  do 
really  entertain  of  you  and  how  impossible  it  is,  I 
do  not  merely  say  that  I  should  print  a  vicious  and 
insolent  criticism  of  America,  but  even  that  such 
a  criticism  should  come  into  my  head.  You  and 
dear  Miss  Butler  stand  first  among  those  who 
cause  us  to  feel  gratefully  and  affectionately 
towards  America  ;  but  really  we  met  with  so  much 
kindness  there  that  the  kindness  is  now  all  that 

326 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

we  remember.  We  have  come  back  to  the  harsh 
east  winds  of  our  spring ;  and  though  the  ther- 
mometer is  about  45°  all  day  and  never  falls 
much  below  freezing  at  night  we  are  colder  than 
we  ever  were  in  America.  Still  I  should  like  you 
to  see  our  flowers,  grass  and  birds.  A  thrush  in 
a  bay  tree  on  our  lawn  has  actually  hatched  and 
brought  out  her  brood."* 

Quite  the  most  characteristic  letters  are  those 
from  Thomas  Carlyle.  A  letter  of  Mr.  Butler's 
had  once  missed  its  delivery  and  Carlyle  explains 
in  this  delightful  manner  :  "  Two  letters  now  with 
such  precaution  and  a  third  enclosed  (which 
should  have  been  xhtjirst  and  (?«/y),  all  to  get  me 
persuaded  to  take  a  little  money  out  of  your  hand. 
There  is  no  doubt  the  mistake  occurred  at  this 
door  ;  the  letter  first  sent  contains  our  postman's 
visible  signature  with  the  word  *  refused  ;'  there  is 
where  the  one  hitch  was  ;  everybody  else  has  done 
his  best  with  perfection  and  success.  One  might 
almost  cry  and  laugh  both  over  such  a  thing. 
The  truth  is,  this  long  while  back — young  fools 


*Mr.  Arnold's  relations  with  Mr.  Butler  are  alluded  to  in  "Let- 
ters of  MattheiT  Arnold,"  by  George  W.  E.  Russell.  New  York: 
Macmillan  &  Co.     Vol.  II.,  pp.  263,  290. 


327 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

being  in  the  habit  of  bothering  me  about  auto- 
graphs and  other  nonsenses,  provoking  when  you 
have  to  throw  a  shilling  into  the  fire  along  with 
them — there  has  been  a  standing  order  that  no 
foreign  letter  is  to  be  accepted  unless  the  hand- 
writing be  known.  That  is  the  whole  mystery. 
I  no  doubt  saw  that  letter.  It  would  be  tran- 
siently shown  me  ;  but  I  had  not  the  least  recog- 
nized it ;  and  so  (probably  in  very  great  haste, 
and  sunk  among  my  own  paper  clippings)  had 
negatorily  shaken  my  head,  and  sent  the  beneficence 
home  again,  in  a  most  astonishing  manner  as  if  it 
had  been  a  maleficence!  Nothing  more  tragi- 
comical happened  lately.  Forgive  me,  dear  sir, 
and  laugh  with  me  in  spite  of  the  trouble  you 
have  had." 

Carlyle  was  at  this  time  hard  at  work  on  his 
Life  of  Frederick  the  Great,  and  responded  to 
Mr.  Butler's  sympathetic  interest  in  the  task  with 
cheerful  grumbling  :  "  I  am  in  these  months  par- 
ticularly held  down,  and  indeed  more  laden  than 
you  can  conceive  with  that  intolerable  load  of 
Prussian  rubbish  (which  has  many  times  seemed 
as  if  it  would  choke  the  life  out  of  me  before  I 
got  done  with  it):  let  this  be  my  excuse  for  all 

328 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


shortcomings  ;  if  I  do  live  to  get  honestly  out  of 
this  sad  whirling  abyss  of  Brandenburg  dust  and 
ashes,  I  promise  to  be  an  idle  and  better  boy  for 
the  remaining  days  appointed  me."  It  is  inter- 
esting to  note  in  this  correspondence,  which  con- 
tinued until  Carlyle  passed  threescore  and  ten, 
how  the  ruggedness  of  the  Scotchman  appealed 
to  Mr.  Butler,  as,  on  the  other  hand,  the  dignity 
and  tenderness  of  Charles  Butler  appealed  to 
Thomas  Carlyle. 

In  the  summer  of  1 866  the  health  of  the  young- 
est daughter  made  a  voyage  to  Europe  desirable, 
and  it  was  decided  that  all  the  family  should  go 
except  Mr.  Butler.  They  sailed  on  a  Saturday 
in  June.  With  characteristic  devotion  and  tend- 
erness he  wrote  to  Mrs.  Butler  the  next  day  : 
"  You  left  only  yesterday,  and  yet  it  seems  a  great 
while  since  that  event  happened,  and  I  begin  to 
address  you  in  a  foreign  land.  At  this  moment 
you  are  afar  off '  on  the  sea,'  where  Dr.  Prentiss  * 

*  Dr.  George  Lewis  Prentiss  was  for  many  years  the  pastor  of  the 
Church  of  the  Covenant,  comer  of  35th  Street  and  Park  Avenue, 
New  York  City.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  pastorate  by  Dr. 
Marvin  R.  Vincent,  who  subsequently  became  a  professor  in  the 
Union  Theological  Seminary.  The  Church  of  the  Covenant  was 
afterwards  consoUdated  with  the  Brick  Presbyterian  Church,  cor- 
ner  of  37th  Street  and  Fifth  Avenue. 


329 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

remembered  you  and  each  of  your  party,  in 
his  prayer  this  morning ;  some  of  you  going  for 
health,  and  some  for  duty  to  the  church.*  In 
looking  around  in  the  church  I  could  not  distin- 
guish any  member  of  the  family  or  any  branch  of 
it.  Every  place  seemed  to  be  vacant  and  every- 
body gone.  I  alone  remained,  but  the  sermon  was 
a  most  comforting  one.  It  was  one  of  Dr.  Pren- 
tiss's exquisite  discourses,  treating  of  the  mercy  of 
God  in  all  His  dealings  with  the  generations  of 
men,  and  to  every  individual  member  of  the  hu- 
man family ;  how  immeasurably  His  mercy  and 
His  goodness  to  us  exceeded  His  severity  and 
His  chastenings,  and  what  occasions  of  gratitude 
we  had  in  every  moment  of  our  earthly  existence, 
if  we  would  but  count  them  up.  After  service  I 
walked  down  to  the  house  to  look  into  its  deserted 
halls  where  there  are  no  longer  the  familiar  and 
sweet  voices,  and  always  welcome,  of  beloved  wife 
or  child  to  greet  me.     All  is  quiet  and  voiceless. 

"  After  spending  a  little  time  yesterday  afternoon 
at  the  house,  I  went  down  to  the  office,  but  there 
seemed  to  be  a  strangeness  even  there.     I  spoke 

*  Dr.  Henry  B.  Smith  and  his  wife  were  with  Mrs.  Butler.  Dr. 
Smith  went  as  delegate  to  the  Evangelical  Alliance. 

330 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 


to  no  one  at  the  service  this  morning.  I  did  not 
feel  equal  to  it.  I  felt  like  writing  to  you  and 
giving  you  this  little  diary  of  the  first  day  and 
night  after  your  departure,  knowing  that  to  you 
and  to  our  dear  girls  it  will  possess  some  interest, 
as  it  will  be  doubtless  the  first  intelligence  you  will 
have  from  home  after  your  arrival  in  Paris.  I  send 
you  Bryant's  last  beautiful  poem,  just  published 
(The  Death  of  Slavery) ;  and  so  with  love 
to  all,  and  commending  you  all  to  God's  pre- 
serving care  and  goodness,  I  am  your  aflfectionate 
husband." 

The  house  in  14th  Street  was  rented,  and  Mr. 
Butler  went  to  stay,  during  the  absence  of  the  fam- 
ily, at  the  hospitable  home  of  his  old-time  friends. 
Professor  and  Mrs.  Botta.  "  I  am  writing,"  he 
said  in  a  letter  to  his  daughter,  "  in  my  own  room, 
which  is  very  pleasant  always,  and  perfectly  quiet. 
I  have  the  Healy  portrait  of  your  grandmother 
hung  up  over  the  mantel  to  face  the  bed.  The 
crayon  portrait  of  Ogden  by  Lawrence  hangs  on 
the  wall  near  the  head  of  my  bed  ;  on  my  right  and 
under  it  the  group  photograph  nicely  framed  ;  the 
easy  chair  under  that.  Then  I  have  my  library 
table  on  which  I  write,  with  my  papers  on  it,  as 

331 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

you  were  accustomed  to  see  it  in  the  library  in 
14th  Street.  Other  things,  too,  surround  me,  all 
reminders  of  home  and  of  you  all,  and  when  sit- 
ting or  standing  in  my  room  these  dear,  famihar, 
and  loving  faces  are  ever  before  me — only  outward 
expressions,  however,  of  the  same  within  me  pho- 
tographed on  my  heart." 

In  a  New  Year's  letter  to  his  wife  he  wrote  : 
"  Already  one-third  of  the  winter  is  gone,  and 
here  we  are  at  the  last  of  December,  the  light  of 
the  old  year  just  flickering  in  its  socket,  and  the 
new  year  just  ready  to  break  in  upon  us.  These 
short  and  wintry  days  and  these  holidays  affect 
me  strangely.  I  seem  lost  to  myself,  because  I 
miss  my  household  gods,  and  Christmas  and  New 
Year's  seem  all  strange  to  me.  I  do  not  think 
that  I  shall  make  many  calls  on  New  Year's.  I 
feel  as  if  I  had  neither  right  nor  cause  to  make  any, 
and  yet  it  may  be  right,  and  there  may  be  cause. 
If  your  next  letters  assure  me  that  you  are  all  well 
and  everything  comfortable,  and  our  dear  child 
improving,  I  shall  surely  not  feel  cynical,  but  shall 
feel  happy  and  thankful  and  shall  go  about  and  see 
our  friends  and  wish  them,  too,  a  Happy  New 
Year. 


332 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 


To-night   I   am  writing  in  my  room   and  all 
is  quiet  and  pleasant  around  me.     Professor  and 
Mrs.  Botta  have  gone  to  hear  Ristori  in  "  De- 
borah."    Ristori  wanted  them  to  come  and  see 
her  in  that  character,  and  sent  them  tickets  for  her 
private  box,  as  she  has  frequently  done  before. 
To-morrow  evening,  which  was  the  only  evening 
she  could  give  them,  they  give  her  a  reception, 
which  is  to  be  very  general,  so  that  I  shall  then 
see  again  this  great  muse  of  tragedy.     She  seems 
to  be  a  very  uncommon  character  and  is  highly 
esteemed.     Mrs.    Astor   gave    her   a    reception, 
which  is  the  only  one  she  has  accepted  besides 
Mrs.  Botta's.     Ristori  was  dressed  very  plainly 
but  very  richly — no  jewelry  about  her,  and  her 
face  is  one  expressive  of  great  intellectual  talent 
and  seriousness.     She  bears  a  very   fine   private 
character.    I  have  seen  her  since,  very  informally, 
with  her  children,  and  shall  meet  her  at  breakfast 
before  she  leaves  the  country.     She  is  the  most 
natural  and  unaffected  person  you  ever  met  with, 
and  extraordinary  success  and  flattery  seem  to  have 
made  no  impression.     She  speaks  of  her  remark- 
able gifts  as  having  been  given  to  her  by  Provi- 
dence.    She    has    a    wonderful    simplicity    and 


333 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

naturalness  of  character.  Botta  took  her  one  day 
to  the  Girls'  School  in  13th  Street,  where  she  was 
greatly  delighted.  One  of  the  little  girls  sang, 
and  Ristori  was  so  affected  that  she  caught  her  up 
and  kissed  her  and  recited  some  beautiful  things 
to  the  children.  She  was  so  interested  in  the 
school  that  she  visited  it  a  second  time  and  brought 
the  Marquis  and  her  friends." 

The  stay  in  Europe  was  longer  than  had  been 
designed,  as  the  family  sought  health  successively 
at  Paris,  at  Divonne,  and  in  Italy.  Upon  their 
arrival  in  Rome  the  father  wrote  to  his  daughter 
rejoicing  in  their  pleasure  :  "  I  am  glad  that  at 
last  you  were  permitted  to  leave  for  a  more 
genial  climate  to  enjoy  objects  and  scenery  of  the 
deepest  interest.  Your  ideals  will  to  some  extent 
be  realized.  History  will  be  illuminated  to  your 
mind  by  the  familiar  things  around  you  as  you 
walk  among  those  grand  old  ruins  of  ancient  Rome, 
the  Rome  of  the  Caesars  ;  and  as  your  eye  rests  on 
the  crumbling  columns  standing  in  the  Forum 
your  imagination  will  repeople  the  spot  with  grave 
forms  of  the  senators  who  occupied  it  and  sat  with 
stolid  indifference  while  the  Barbarians  were  thun- 
dering away  at  the  gates  of  the  city.     You  must 

334 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

go  to  the  top  of  the  capitol  and  get  the  view,  one 
of  the  grandest  in  the  world  ;  from  that  spot  you 
look  down  upon  ancient  Rome  which  lies  before 
you  and  out  upon  the  Apennines  on  the  north 
and  east,  upon  Albano  and  Frascati  on  the  south, 
upon  the  Tiber  and  the  Mediterranean  on  the 
west.  From  no  other  spot  in  the  world  can  the 
eye  take  in  so  much  of  historic  ground.  You 
should  read  Macaulay's  Lays  of  Ancient  Rome 
while  there  on  the  spot.  I  hope  mother  will  take 
you  to  No.  7,  Via  San  Vitale,  where  we  lived  a  win- 
ter twenty-eight  years  ago  most  comfortably  and 
cheaply.  Dinner  for  four  at  9  Pauli  daily.  Charm- 
ing rooms,  large  and  pleasant,  with  sunny  eastern 
exposure  on  the  southerly  slope  ot  the  Quirinal, 
with  the  Rospigliosi  palace  in  the  rear,  where  we 
often  went  to  look  at  Guido's  masterpiece,  the 
Aurora,  in  the  ceiling.  Your  enjoyment  in  Rome 
will  be  mine,  for  I  shall  be  with  you  in  spirit." 

"  I  understand  perfectly,"  he  wrote  later,  "  the 
difference  between  Florence  and  Rome.  The 
grandeur,  antiquities  and  the  ruins  of  the  latter  are 
oppressive  to  a  thoughtful  mind  ;  time  is  too  short 
to  admit  of  prosecuting  an  examination  into  them, 
for  it  is  an  endless  chain  running  back  centuries 


335 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

into  the  dead  past ;  and  the  Papal  government 
partaking  of  the  same  effete  character  gives  no 
relief,  but  rather  adds  to  the  fatigue.  To  get 
away  from  it  to  Florence  where  something  of  pro- 
gress is  evident  and  where  there  is  so  much  to  ad- 
mire in  art  is  a  most  refreshing  change." 

One  of  Mr.  Butler's  occupations  during  the 
absence  of  his  family  was  the  care  of  his  country 
place.  "  Fox  Meadow  "  occupies  a  delightful  in- 
tervale in  Scarsdale,  Westchester  County,  New 
York.  The  original  "  Evergreen  Farm "  had 
been  enlarged  from  time  to  time  by  the  purchase 
of  adjoining  homesteads.  In  one  of  these  his  ne- 
phew, Benjamin  Franklin  Butler,  Jr.,  with  his  fami- 
ly lived  for  many  years.  Other  nephews  and  nieces 
and  friends  occupied  the  other  houses  at  times. 
"  Round  Oak,"  the  residence  of  his  nephew,  Wil- 
liam Allen  Butler,  overlooking  the  Hudson  at 
Yonkers,  was  within  an  easy  afternoon's  drive. 
This  family  environment  added  greatly  to  the  en- 
joyment of  life  at  "  Fox  Meadow."  The  garden 
and  green-houses  gave  pleasure  to  friends  both 
summer  and  winter. 

Mr.  Butler  wrote  in  1867  :  "  The  camelias  pro- 
mise an  abundant  crop,  though  as  yet  we  have  had 

336 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

only  about  a  dozen  blossoms.  I  brought  down  a 
handsome  bouquet  of  flowers  with  some  clusters  of 
grapes  which  I  took  to  Mr.  Wetmore  and  Mr. 
Peabody  last  evening.  They  were  delighted  with 
them.  I  had  arranged  with  the  florist  to  take 
some  of  the  flowers  regularly,  and  he  had  been  up 
to  see  the  conservatory,  but  I  cannot  make  up  my 
mind  to  carry  out  the  arrangement.  You  know 
my  love  for  the  flowers,  and  the  pleasure  it  gives 
me  to  have  them  around  me  and  to  give  them 
away,  and  the  pleasure  it  gives  to  those  who  re- 
ceive them.  Now  that  you  are  away  they  seem  to 
be  about  all  I  have  left  in  the  winter  of  my  dis- 
content to  cheer  and  to  enliven  both  by  asso- 
ciation and  by  sense." 

"  The  wind  is  howling,"  he  wrote  one  day  in 
May,  "but  nature  is  most  lovely.  The  lilacs  di- 
rectly opposite  the  window  were  never  so  beauti- 
ful, and  have  a  fragrance  quite  overpowering. 
The  patches  of  shrubbery  along  the  carriage  road 
are  variegated  with  bloom,  and  the  grass  and  the 
evergreen  trees  are  as  green  as  plenty  of  rain  can 
make  them.  The  apple  trees  are  loaded  and  white 
with  blossoms,  and  the  birds  are  plenty  and  sing- 
ing sweetly.     I  hear  the  lowing  of  cows  just  com- 

337 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

ing  up  from  the  pasture,  and  shrill  cries  of  the 
peacock,  the  cackling  of  hens,  and  the  crowing  of 
cocks,  and  a  robin  that  seems  to  delight  in  the 
song  that  he  is  singing  just  by  the  window.  I  take 
in  a  glimpse  of  Burgess's  house,  and  the  *  Wayside 
Cottage,*  and  the  garden  and  farm  cottages,  and 
all  the  familiar  scenes  and  sounds.  And  yet,"  he 
added,  with  a  touch  of  pensive  sadness  which  per- 
vades these  letters  to  the  absent  ones,  "  the  hu- 
man voices  and  human  flowers  are  not  here,  and 
the  heart  cannot  be  satisfied  with  nature,  however 
lovely  and  beautiful  it  may  be.  It  still  longs  for 
companionship." 

One  Sunday  in  June  he  wrote:  "Just  as  I  sat 
down  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  Benjamin's  carriage 
returning  from  St.  James  the  Less  followed  by 
Mr.  Tinker's.  *  The  garden  terrace  stretched  out 
before  me  never  appeared  more  beautiful ;  the 
grass,  cut  close,  is  very  thick  and  velvety,  and  of 
the  deepest  and  richest  green  ;  the  walks  in  beau- 


*  Mr.  James  Tinker,  formerly  of  Manchester,  England,  was  the 
American  representative  of  the  firm  of  C.  M.  Lampson  &  Co.,  of 
London,  England,  and  for  many  years  held  Mr.  George  Peabody's 
power  of  attorney  in  the  United  States,  and  assisted  in  his  philan- 
thropic work.  He  retired  from  business  in  1873,  and  has  since  re- 
sided in  Hampshire,  England. 

338 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 


tiful  order ;  the  border  lined  with  roses  and  ver- 
benas ;  the  large  vases  filled  with  scarlet  geraniums 
and  coleus  leaves ;  and  all  nature  calm,  quiet,  and 
fragrant.     The  trees  and  shrubbery  have  grown  so 
densely  that  the  barn  and  stable  and  Fox  Meadow 
cottage  are  nearly  hidden  from  view,  and  you  see 
only  bits  of  them  sufficient  to  indicate  where  they 
stand.     And  now  the  gardener  and  all  his  family 
(counting  seven)  have  come  in  from  St.  James  the 
Less  and  passed  up  the  transept  *  to  the  cottage, 
all  looking  nice  and  orderly.      I  hear  nothing  but 
the  music  of  birds,  the  hum  of  insects,  and  the 
rustling  of  leaves.     I  see  Farmer  Jones  coming 
deliberately  along  the  terrace,  to  see  about  going 
to  the  chapel  this  afternoon,  I  presume.   Now  he  is 
just  going  away,  the  subject  of  our  conference  be- 
ing arrangements  for  going  down  to  the  chapel  at 
a  quarter  after  three  for  the  Sunday-school  Festi- 
val, which  I  decide  shall  take  place  on  Saturday 
next,  the  twenty-ninth,  mother's  birthday,  which 
comes  next  to  yours,  so  that  I  regard  the  festival 
as  commemorative  of  both.     I  shall  request  Ben- 
jamin to  represent  me  on  the  occasion  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  strawberries  and  ice-cream,  books  and 

*  An  arched  vinery  connecting  greenhouses  on  both  sides. 

339 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

bonbons,  and  in  the  address  to  the  children.  The 
books  and  bonbons  are  to  be  given  out  in  the  gar- 
den at  the  summer  house  as  last  year ;  the  straw- 
berries and  cream  up  at  the  Fox  Meadow  cottage 
as  last  year,  or  under  the  maples  in  front  of  Ben- 
jamin's, as  may  be  deemed  best.  Great  expecta- 
tions among  the  children  already,  and  they  are 
diligently  preparing  for  the  occasion.  Now  it  is 
quarter  to  six,  and  I  have  returned  to  the  summer 
house.  Benjamin  and  Ellen  and  the  children,  in- 
cluding Rutgers  Crosby  and  Mrs.  Tinker,  and 
a  friend  of  Benjamin's,  are  on  the  terrace  beside 
the  transept  watching  one  of  the  sweetest  of  sun- 
sets. After  dinner  I  went  down  to  the  chapel  in 
time  to  speak  to  the  Sunday-school,  and  invite 
them  to  the  festival." 

Again  he  wrote  on  a  day  in  June  : 

"Ellen  (Mrs.  Benjamin  Franklin  Butler,  Jr.)sent 
up  a  note  urging  me  to  come  to  dine  with  them,  and 
I  gladly  accepted.  They  are  delighted  with  their 
*  Wayside  Cottage,*  as  they  call  it,  and  everything 
goes  on  pleasantly  with  them.  Ellen  desired  me  to 
send  her  special  love  to  you  and  the  girls.  Inci- 
dents of  Fox  Meadow  life,  though  unimportant 
in  themselves,  may  possess  some  interest  to  you 

340 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 


who  are  so  far  off  and  whose  thoughts  are  turned 
this  way  more  or  less  every  day,  if  not  every  hour. 
I  took  a  short  walk  with   Mr.  Jones  to  look  at 
the  wheat  and  rye  fields  which  are  truly  beautiful 
and  give  promise  of  a  heavy  crop.     On  leaving 
him  I  went  down  into   the  garden  to  be  there  at 
the  sunset,  which  was  clear  and  brilliant  and  soft 
as  you  have  often  seen  it  here.     Seated  in  one  of 
the  large  chairs  on  the  terrace,  I  looked  at  the 
swallows  playing  on  the  water  and  thought  how 
strange  it  was  that  I  was  there  all  alone  to  enjoy 
a  scene  so  lovely.     I  looked  around  and  expected 
to  hear  the  sweet  and  familiar  voices  of  loved  ones 
whose  presence  makes  home  and  whose  absence 
makes  a  void  which  is  felt.     The  birds  were  thin- 
ning   off,   and  going,   I   suppose,   to  their  beds, 
though  I   heard  a  few  yet  singing  their  vespers. 
I  thought  of  you  at  Acqua  and  questioned  myself 
what   you   were   doing  just  now,   and  my  heart 
panted  to  see  you  all.     Now  all  have  gone  out  of 
the  garden  and  I  am  alone,  and  how  quiet  it  is 
and  how  lovely — Acqua  cannot  be  more  lovely." 
Charles  Butler  loved  nature  in  its  quieter  mani- 
festations much  as  did  Wordsworth,  and  vitalized 
it  with  human  associations.      It  meant  much  to 


341 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


him  that  his  children  also  shared  this  love.  "  The 
lovely  souvenir  that  came  in  your  letter,"  he 
wrote  one  Sunday  afternoon  in  February,  1867, 
in  response  to  a  letter  from  Divonne, "  lies  before 
mc  and  I  have  kissed  it.  The  color  is  perfect,  a 
bright  yellow,  and  the  leaf  is  a  beautiful  green. 

"  Long  as  there's  a  sun  that  sets, 
Primroses  will  have  their  glory  j 
Long  as  there  are  violets, 

They  will  have  a  place  in  story." 

Thus  Wordsworth  speaks  of  this  sweet  flower. 
I  can  hardly  believe  that  you  could  have  found  this 
gem  out  of  doors,  at  the  foot  of  the  Jura  moun- 
tains, in  the  month  of  February.  I  am  sure  it 
could  not  have  lived  in  our  climate.  I  am  glad 
that  you  have  found, in  little  Louis,  a  companion  in 
your  occasional  walks,  and  it  must  make  him 
happy  to  have  you  notice  him.  He  needs  society 
and  sympathy  as  we  all  do,  and  none  of  us  can  do 
without  it.  Providence  has  so  ordered  it.  This 
mutual  dependence  which  every  human  soul  feels 
and  is  ever  yearning  after  is  ever  admonishing  and 
teaching  us  that  our  own  happiness  is  found  in 
the  endeavor  to  promote  the  happiness  of  others. 

34a 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


"  The  sun  has  hid  his  rays 
These  many  days  ; 
Will  dreary  hours  never  leave  the  earth  ? 
Oh  doubting  heart  ! 
The  stormy  clouds  on  high 
Veil  the  same  sunny  sky 
That  soon  (for  Spring  is  nigh) 
Shall  wake  the  Summer  into  golden  mirth." 

So  sings  Adelaide  Ann  Proctor,  and  I  am  re- 
minded of  it  on  reading  the  account  in  your  letters 
of  the  many  sunless  and  rainy  days  that  hung 
over  you  at  Divonne.  I  was  glad  to  hear,  by  the 
way,  the  very  latest  report  in  your  letter  of  the 
7th  of  February,  that  on  Thursday  morning,  a 
fortnight  ago  last  Thursday,  there  was  a  little 
patch  of  blue  sky  showing  itself,  proving  that  the 
sun  was  shining  and  giving  a  silver  lining  to  the 
clouds.  I  hope  you  have  since  had  many  sunny 
days  to  enliven  and  cheer  you.  The  following  son- 
net, by  Jones  Very,  I  think,  is  very  beautiful,  par- 
ticularly the  last  six  lines  : 

NATURE 

« '  The  bubbling  brook  doth  leap  vi^hen  I  come  by. 
Because  my  feet  find  measure  with  its  call, 
The  birds  know  when  the  friend  they  love  is  nigh. 
For  I  am  known  to  them  both  great  and  small ; 

3+3 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


The  flowers  that  on  the  lovely  hillside  grow 

Expect    me   there  when    Spring  their  bloom  has 
given ; 
And  many  a  tree  and  bush  my  wanderings  know, 

And  e'en  the  clouds  and  silent  stars  of  heaven ; 
For  he  who  with  his  Maker  walks  aright, 

Shall  be  their  lord,  as  Adam  was  before ; 
His  ear  shall  catch  each  sound  with  new  delight. 

Each  object  wear  the  dress  which  then  it  wore ; 
And  he,  as  when  erect  in  soul  he  stood. 
Hear  from  his  Father's  lips  that  all  is  good.' 

"  I  think  you  will  carry  away  with  you  from 
Divonne  many  pleasant  recollections.  The  moun- 
tain scenery  that  you  have  had  before  you  there  is 
probably  unrivalled,  and  you  have  gazed  so  long 
and  so  often  on  Mount  Blanc  and  his  fellow 
mountains,  that  they  will  ever  form  a  pleasant  pic- 
ture in  your  memory.  To  have  seen  them  so 
much  during  the  winter  is,  I  think,  a  great  privi- 
lege ;  and  how  familiar  you  will  have  become  with 
the  geography  of  that  country.  Nyon,  Coppet, 
Ferney  and  Geneva  will  be  as  familiar  to  you  as 
Scarsdale  and  the  region  round  about.  I  cannot 
give  you  any  useful  hints  about  your  journey 
south  to  Italy.  I  hope  that  you  will  go  by  Mar- 
seilles and  Nice  and  the  Cornice,  posting,  which 

344 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


I  advised  you  to  do  from  Nice  to  Genoa,  unless 
you  can  secure  a  coupe  in  the  diligence,  and  stop 
over  to  suit  your  convenience  and  comfort.  I 
hope  you  will  go  directly  to  Rome,  and  find  there 
good  apartments  and  your  cousins,  Julia  and 
Emily  and  Will  Wheeler.  This  will  make  it  very 
pleasant  for  you  all,  and  it  will  be  quite  an  epoch 
to  be  in  Rome  together.  How  happy  I  should 
be  to  be  there  with  you  !  And  now,  dear  daugh- 
ter, good  night.  I  am  to  get  up  early  in  the 
morning  to  prepare  for  our  Washington  trip. 
With  love  to  dear  mother  and  Anna  and  yourself, 
each  a  portion,  I  am,  your  affectionate  father." 

The  family  returned  safely  in  1867  and  the 
home  life  was  resumed.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Butler 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding  on  October  10, 
1 87 5,  at  "  Fox  Meadow."  The  day  was  clear  and 
bright  and  beautiful.  The  rooms  were  decorated 
with  flowers  and  autumn  leaves.  Mr.  William 
Allen  Butler  read  a  poem  which  he  had  written  for 
the  occasion.*  Auld  Lang  Syne  was  sung  by  the 
guests  who  had  assembled  to  oflfer  their  congratu- 

*See  "Nothing  to  Wear  and  Other  Poems."  By  William 
Allen  Butler.  A  New  Edition.  Harper  and  Brothers.  1899. 
(A  Golden  Wedding,  p.  141 .) 

345 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

lations,  among  whom  were  four  who  had  been 
present  at  the  marriage  in  Walton — Mrs.  Butler's 
two  brothers  and  her  sisters,  Mrs.  Wheeler  and 
Mrs.  McCagg.  It  was  also  on  this  occasion  that 
Mr.  William  Cullen  Byrant  made  his  last  visit  to 
"  Fox  Meadow."  For  many  years  it  had  been 
the  poet's  habit  to  make  all-day  excursions  to  the 
place  with  Mr.  Butler  in  the  spring  to  gather  the 
early  flowers,  of  which  he  was  so  fond. 

In  1877  Anna,  the  youngest  daughter,  passed 
away.  Her  health  had  long  been  delicate,  and  it 
was  her  hoped  for  restoration  that  had  been  the 
motive  for  the  residence  in  Europe  ten  years  be- 
fore. In  the  year  following  her  loss  the  home 
was  again  saddened  by  the  death  of  Mrs.  Butler. 

In  1 88 1  Mr.  Butler  made  a  visit  to  Europe 
with  his  nephew,  William  Allen  Butler,  who  as 
a  boy  had  travelled  with  him  forty-three  years 
before  on  his  first  visit  to  the  Old  World. 
Of  the  special  object  of  this  last  trip  Mr.  Butler 
wrote  :  "  Before  leaving  Geneva,  I  went  to  visit 
Divonne — at  the  foot  of  the  Jura  Mountains, 
about  ten  miles  from  Geneva — where  Eliza  and 
the  girls  spent  some  seven  months  for  Anna's 
health  in  1866-7.     Their  letters  from  that  place 

346 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


had  made  it  very  familiar  to  me.     I  have  always 
had  the  greatest  desire  to  visit  it,  and  how  I  hoped 
and  longed  that  the  way  might  be  openea  to  do 
this  while  they  were  yet  living — but  this  was  not 
to  be.     I  had  pretty  much  given  up  the  expecta- 
tion that  I  could  ever  do  it.     The  proposal  last 
spring  to  visit  Europe  seemed  an  impossibility. 
In  thinking  of  it,  however,  this  feeling  in  regard 
to  Divonne  was  revived  and  was  the  chief  motive 
in  securing  the  assent  of  my  mind  to  the  adven- 
ture.    How  thankful  I  now  feel   to  a  gracious 
Providence  that  spared  to  me  health  and  strength 
and  reason  to  accomplish  this  with  so   much  of 
comfort,  and  with  Emily  as  my  companion.     To 
visit  Geneva,  Monnetier,  Divonne,  names  familiar 
to  me  as  household    words ;   to   look    upon  the 
mountains,  the  valleys,  the  lakes,  the  rivers  and 
the  wonderful  scenery  which  on  every  side  grati- 
fied their  eyes  and   their  imaginations  ;  to  stand 
where  they  stood,  to  see  the  things  which  they  saw 
and  which  reconciled  them  to  their  enforced  ab- 
sence from  home — it  was  an  epoch  in  my  life  un- 
speakably impressive.     Nature  has  voices  which 
touch  the  inmost  spirit  of  the  human  heart.     It 
seemed  as  if  memory  and  association  had  invested 


347 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

the  mountains  and  the  landscape  around  me  with 
a  living  power.  Need  I  say,  dear  sister,  that  to 
the  brim  my  heart  was  full  with  the  memory  of 
what  had  been  and  never  more  will  be.  The  loved 
ones  were  not  there  to  welcome  me,  but  in  my 
mental  vision  I  could  see  them  going  in  and  com- 
ing out  of  the  houses  they  occupied  here,  and 
gazing  with  ever  fresh  interest  on  this  scene  of 
grandeur  and  beauty  which  was  to  them  an  earnest 
of  the  grander  and  more  beautiful  country  to 
which  they  have  since  gone,  where  they  now  re- 
joice in  a  happiness  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory." 

After  Mr.  Butler's  seventy-fifth  birthday  he 
wrote  :  "  As  I  grow  older  and  business  cares  press 
heavily  on  me  I  feel  the  weakness  that  comes  from 
want  of  help,  and  though  trying  to  curtail  and  limit 
engagements  and  business  the  very  effort  seems 
at  times  fruitless.  I  shall  not  enter  into  any  new 
thing  and  shall  labor  to  bring  to  a  close  old 
things." 

"Yet  shall  the  righteous  hold  on  his  way,"  said 
Job,  "  and  he  that  hath  clean  hands  shall  wax 
stronger  and  stronger;"  and  so  was  it  in  Mr.  But- 
ler's later  years.  It  was  a  privilege  which  many  of 
the  college  students  will  long  remember,  to  hear  his 

348 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 


parting  words,  as  with  form  erect  and  eyes 
undimmed,  he  was  wont  as  President  of  the 
Council  of  New  York  University  to  greet  the 
successive  classes  on  the  Commencement  stage. 
It  was  his  custom,  continued  until  he  was  ninety- 
three  years  of  age,  to  give  a  reception  every  spring 
to  the  graduating  class  of  Union  Theological 
Seminary.  No  one  who  heard  them  could  ever 
forget  the  simple  earnestness  of  the  words  which 
he  spoke  on  these  occasions  to  those  young  men 
going  out  to  be  Christian  ministers. 

Charles  Butler's  life,  like  that  of  all  those  who 
live  to  an  unusually  great  age,  was  saddened 
year  by  year  as  one  and  another  of  his  family  and 
friends  passed  away;  but  his  house  was  not  left  to 
him  utterly  desolate,  for  one  daughter  remained 
with  him,  and  he  retained  even  in  old  age  the 
faculty  of  making  new  friends.  His  interest  was 
unfailing  in  the  younger  men  and  women  coming 
on  to  take  up  the  world's  work  where  the  older 
generation  laid  it  down.  At  his  table  one  met 
not  only  well-known  men,  but  younger  ones  with 
their  reputations  still  in  the  making.  He  was  glad 
to  have  such  men  about  him  and  he  attracted 
them  to  himself  by  his  unusual  personahty. 

349 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 


"  He  was  always  a  finished  gentleman,"  said 
one  of  his  friends,  "  not  in  mere  polish  of  man- 
ner, but  in  the  shining  of  a  genuine  kindliness 
through  his  peaceful  dignity ;  and  his  fine  cour- 
tesy was  noticeable  even  in  his  intercourse  with 
children.  Yet  with  all  his  suavity  and  peace  and 
real  heartiness,  he  was  positive  in  conviction, 
definite  in  opinion,  tenacious  of  purpose,  and  a 
determined  antagonist  when  his  convictions  were 
assailed.  As  the  years  whitened  his  hair,  his  face 
gained  even  more  of  dignity.  His  manner,  full 
as  always  of  thoughtful  courtesy,  while  retaining 
the  touch  of  formality  which  had  added  to  its 
distinction,  took  on  a  softening  touch  of  gracious- 
ness.  He  was  fond  of  observing  formal  occa- 
sions and  remembering  his  friends  at  anniversary 
seasons  in  their  lives.  He  was  accustomed  to  give 
a  reception  on  his  own  birthday  until  the  candles 
on  the  birthday  cake  could  scarcely  be  counted 
by  the  children  who  were  always  honored  and  in- 
terested guests  at  "  Uncle  Charles'  party."  It 
was  the  habit  of  a  friend  of  many  years'  standing 
to  write  greetings  in  verse — little  "  Valentines  " 
she  called  them — since  St.  Valentine's  Day  and 
Mr.  Butler's   birthday  came   so  closely  together. 


35° 


OF       CHARLES      BUTLER 


For  the   seventy-fifth    birthday    she   wrote    this 
graceful  poem : 

"  Oh  Time,  deal  gently  with  my  friend 
Who  gently  deals  with  all, 
And  on  his  loved  and  honored  head 
Let  blessings  only  fall. 

In  love  to  God  and  love  to  man 

His  days  pass  here  below, 
And  so  to  reach  the  Home  above 

He  has  not  far  to  go. 

But  distant  be  that  happy  day 
That  calls  him  from  our  view — 

Heaven  has  so  many  souls  like  his 
And  earth,  alas  !  so  few." 

Fourteen  years  later  this  same  lady  wrote  on 
the  occasion  of  the  eighty-ninth  birthday  : 

"  Life  is  not  measured  by  the  flow  of  years. 
But  by  high  thoughts  and  noble  deeds,  whereby 
The  soul  makes  its  own  record  and  uprears 
A  monument  whereon  its  age  appears — 
Not  told  in  years,  but  deeds  that  glorify  ; — 
If  by  this  law  we  count  and  measure  thine, 
How  far  they  would  outnumber  eighty-nine  ! 

For  the  ninetieth  birthday  his  nephew,  William 
Allen  Butler,  wrote  this  sonnet : 

35» 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

C.  B.     February  fifteenth,  1892.     JEt.  XC. 
"  What  lavish  wealth  of  years  !   fourscore  and  ten  ; 
Yet  not,  for  selfish  ends,  a  treasured  hoard  ; 
God's  gift  of  lengthened  life,  in  love   outpoured. 

And  used,  in  service  meet,  for  fellow  men  ; 

The  patriarch's  crown,  well  won,  well  worn,  to-day 
Wreathes  an  unwrinkled  brow ;  the  undimmed  eye 
Still  keeps  the  radiance  of  the  years  gone  by, 

And  the  heart's  youth,  unconscious  of  decay. 

Nine  decades  safely  closed,  the  tenth  displays 
Its  opening  scroll,  and  lo !  the  illumined  page. 
Athwart  the  sombre  record  of  old  age, 

With  Love  and  Hope  and  Joy  is  all  ablaze : 

As  though  an  angel  stooped  from  heaven  to  write — 

*  At  eventide  there  shall  be  morning  light !  "  " 

Never  did  he  seem  more  genial  in  his  hospital- 
ity nor  happier  in  having  his  friends  and  relatives 
about  him  than  on  these  occasions. 

To  a  wonderful  degree  Mr.  Butler  retained  in 
old  age  the  mental  vigor  of  his  youth.  It  was  his 
life-long  habit  to  copy  upon  a  scrap  of  paper 
any  line,  or  sentence,  or  verse,  that  struck  him  as 
worthy  of  remembrance,  and  to  place  it  on  his 
table  where  he  could  commit  it  to  memory  while 
dressing.  This  custom  he  kept  up  until  after  he 
had  reached  the  age  of  ninety.  A  visitor  who  met 
him  for  the  first  time  in   1893,  gives  this  descrip- 

352 


1-^-^1  ■',<'     ' 


/U, 


THE     LIFE     AND     LETTERS 

C.  B.     February  fifteenth,  1892.     JEt.  XC. 
"  What  lavish  wealth  of  years!  fourscore  and  ten; 
Yet  not,  for  selfish  end=;.  a  treasured  hoard ; 
God's  gift  of  lengthen  :ove  outpoured, 

And  used,  in  service  met  ,  w  men  ; 

The  patriarch's  crown,  well  won,  well  worn,  to-day 
Wrea  >  unwrinkled  brow;  the  undimmed  eye 

Still  keeps  the  radiance  of  ♦^he  years  gone  by. 

And  the  heart's  youth,  u  -^us  of  decay. 

Nine  decades  safely  closed,  th  displays 

Its  opening  scroll,  and  nined  page, 

Athwart  the  sombre  reco  d  age. 

With  Love  and  Hope  and  Joy  is  ail  a 

As  though  an  angel  stooped  from  heaven  to  write — 

*  At  eventide  there  shall  be  morning  light !  "  " 

Never  did  he  seem  more  genial  in  his  hospital- 
ity nor  happier  in  having  his  friends  and  relatives 
about  him  than  on  these  occasions. 

To  a  wonderful  degree  Mr.  Butler  retained  in 
old  age  the  mental  vigor  of  his  youth.  It  was  his 
life-long  habit  to  copy  upon  a  scrap  of  paper 
any  line,  or  sentence,  or  verse,  that  struck  him  as 
worthy  of  remembrance,  and  to  place  it  on  his 
table  where  he  could  commit  it  to  memory  while 
dressing.  This  custom  he  kep.  .^^  .judil  after  he 
had  reached  the  age  of  ninety.  A  visitor  who  met 
him  for  the  first  time  in   1893,  gives  this  descrip- 

15  i 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 

tlon  :  "  In  the  soft  light  of  the  middle  room 
I  got  my  first  glimpse  of  Charles  Butler.  Six 
feet,  if  an  inch, — no  less.  Straight  as  an  arrow, 
and  with  no  halt  or  impediment  to  his  step.  A 
face  that  would  strike  the  casual  beholder  as  a 
wonderful  compound  of  the  characteristics  of 
Washington  and  Gladstone,  yet  with  not  the  full- 
ness of  either  one — a  face  full  of  gentleness,  dig- 
nity, and  fascinating  mobility.  Partially  bald, 
only  ;  hair  gray  and  falling  straight  as  an  Indian's, 
and  clipped  evenly  at  the  ends.  The  nose  full, 
Roman,  and  wonderfully  indicative  of  character 
and  virility.  The  eyes,  well  separated,  dark 
brown,  beaming  with  kindliness,  and  clear  and 
bright  as  in  a  man  of  forty  years.  Mouth  clear- 
cut,  decisive  in  its  lines.  With  a  plain  walking 
stick,  which  apparently  was  not  used  for  support, 
Mr.  Butler  advanced  into  the  reception  room  and 
saluted  his  caller.  It  was  like  meeting  a  man  of 
middle  age,  overflowing  with  the  natural  graces 
heightened  by  the  highest  culture  and  good  feel- 
mg. 

In  this  year  Mr.  Butler  sat  with  his  fellow 
members  at  the  thirtieth  anniversary  of  the  Union 
League  Club,  making  the  first  speech  of  the  even- 

353 


THE     LIFE     AND      LETTERS 


ing.  He  began  lightly :  "  You'd  scarce  expect 
one  of  my  age  to  speak  in  public  on  the  stage  "  ; 
but  went  on  in  language  full  of  the  deepest  emo- 
tion to  review  the  history  and  achievements  of  the 
Union  League  Club.  In  this  year  also,  bearing 
easily  his  ninety-one  years,  he  visited  the  Exposi- 
tion in  Chicago,  where  he  had  the  satisfaction  of 
meeting  the  son  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  Porter, 
whose  labors  in  Chicago,  sixty  years  before,  he  had 
shared.  He  had  the  pleasure,  also,  strangely 
enough,  on  this  visit,  of  meeting  a  sister  of  the  lit- 
tle child  at  whose  funeral  in  the  pioneer  days,  sixty 
years  before,  these  two  l^en  had  performed  the 
last  simple  rites. 

Through  the  next  two  or  three  years  Charles 
Butler's  activities  continued  unabated.  Then, 
gradually,  almost  imperceptibly,  his  physical  force 
began  to  decline.  In  December,  1896,  while 
attending  an  early  morning  reading  by  Ian  Mac- 
Laren  *  at  Union  Theological  Seminary,  he  took 
a  severe  cold,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  never 

*Rev.  John  Watson,  D.D.,  of  the  Sefton  Park  Congregational 
Church,  Liverpool,  England,  of  which  his  niece,  Mrs.  Alfred 
Booth,  of  Liverpool,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Franklin  Butler,  was 
an  attendant,  and  by  whom  Dr.  Watson  had  been  accredited  to 
him. 

35  + 


OF       CHARLES       BUTLER 


recovered,  though  his  mental  force  and  his  gener- 
ous enthusiasm  in  all  good  works  continued  un- 
changed. The  last  letter  in  his  own  hand  was 
written  to  the  treasurer  of  the  church  in  his  native 
town  of  Stuyvesant  enclosing  a  check  toward  the 
fund  for  restoring  the  church  building  and  for 
assisting  the  congregation,  interest  in  which  he 
had  never  ceased  to  feel  since  the  day  three  quar- 
ters of  a  century  before,  when  he  had  sent  to  it 
his  first  contribution.  On  the  13th  of  December, 
1 897,  his  life  gently  passed  away.  He  was  buried 
at  Woodlawn  Cemetery  in  the  family  plot  by  the 
side  of  his  wife  and  the  children  who  had  preceded 
him. 

"  I  cannot  feel  regret  for  him,"  wrote  his  friend, 
E.  Lyulph  Stanley,  "  because  so  beautiful  and  so 
prolonged  a  life  has  ended  peacefully.  Among 
the  many  more  worthy  tributes  to  his  memory 
which  you  will  receive  I  can  only  add  what  Mr. 
Carlyle  said  in  giving  me  the  letter  of  introduc- 
tion :  '  The  truest  gentleman  I  ever  knew.'  " 

He  had  gone  on  to  the  perfect  peace  of  God, 
having  well  done  his  work  on  earth.  "  He  had 
been,"  said  one,  "  for  longer  than  two  average  life- 
times an  exemplary  Christian,  a   loyal  citizen,  a 

355 


THE     LIFE     AND      LETTERS 

kindly  neighbor,  an  honest  man ;  and  In  every 
relationship,  public  and  private,  had  borne  the 
white  flower  of  a  blameless  life."  He  had  served 
his  State,  he  had  served  his  fellow  men.  "  To- 
night," said  Dr.  Charles  Cuthbert  Hall,  President 
of  Union  Theological  Seminary,  "  I  am  as  one 
standing  where  two  ways  meet — a  way  leading 
backward  into  the  past  of  this  Christian  Seminary  ; 
a  way  leading  onward  into  Its  future.  By  the  feet 
of  a  noble  company  has  that  way  of  the  past  been 
trodden  ;  of  men  who  having  clear  vision,  stead- 
fast faith  and  godly  courage  wrought  manfully, 
not  for  themselves  alone,  but  for  their  successors 
also.  And  of  all  who  trod  that  way  of  the  past 
none  was  of  clearer  vision,  none  of  godller  cour- 
age, none  of  faith  more  steadfast  than  he  whose 
long  and  honorable  life  has  ended." 

The  life  here  recorded  has  told  Its  own  story 
and  needs  no  words  to  point  its  moral.  At  the 
simple  funeral  services  held  In  the  Brick  Presby- 
terian Church  In  New  York  an  address  was 
delivered  by  his  friend  the  Rev.  Dr.  Marvin  R. 
Vincent.  His  closing  words  may  fitly  end  this 
record : 

"  This    is    not    an     occasion     for    mourning. 

356 


OF      CHARLES       BUTLER 

What  more  could  his  best  friends  ask  for  him. 
He  has  rounded  out  to  the  full  the  tale  of  human 
years.  He  has  made  the  world  the  richer  and 
better  by  his  life.  He  has  deserved  his  honors 
and  has  received  them.  He  has  come  to  the  end, 
and  has  been  gathered  to  his  fathers  and  to  the 
dear  departed  of  his  own  household,  in  the  com- 
munion of  the  Catholic  Church,  in  the  confidence 
of  a  certain  faith,  in  the  comfort  of  a  reasonable, 
religious  and  holy  hope,  and  at  peace  with  God. 
This  morning  we  turn  again  to  our  old,  daily 
tasks,  and  the  ferment  and  roar  of  the  great  city 
fill  the  air  as  they  did  yesterday  and  will  to-mor- 
row, but  the  task  and  the  turmoil  are  alike  over 
for  him,  and  his  rest  will  be  broken  no  more  for- 
ever ;  and  as  I  think  of  that  great  and  perfect 
peace  into  which  the  long  stream  of  his  life  has 
emerged,  there  come  to  my  mind  the  words  of 
one  of  those  rich  old  liturgies  :  *  In  the  tabernacles 
of  shade  and  rest,  in  the  harbor  of  life  where 
griefs,  infirmities,  groans  and  miseries  fly,  and 
where  the  weary  and  tempest-tost  rest  together : 
in  the  life  that  knoweth  not  old  age,  the  good 
things  that  pass  not  away,  the  delights  that  have 
"o  end.'  "  /ti^/.//    /  d^  1/  II 


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